“Sir,' I said to the universe, 'I exist.' 'That,' said the universe, 'creates no sense of obligation in me whatsoever.” [closed]

A Man Said to the Universe By Stephen Crane
A man said to the universe:
“Sir, I exist!”
“However,” replied the universe,
“The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation.”

In another Crane poem ("War is Kind"):

Hoarse, booming drums of the regiment,
Little souls who thirst for fight,
These men were born to drill and die.
The unexplained glory flies above them,
Great is the Battle-God, great, and his Kingdom -
A field where a thousand corpses lie.

The comparison should be ample to explain Crane's view of the universe or the almighty.

These men (dying in horribly in the trenches) were "born to drill and die"... fairly cold and detached, isn't it?

An editor (Christopher Benfey) of Crane's poetry describes his aim:

...to identify the truth about human existence as he conceives it, a truth that is difficult and austere, and rescue it from what he perceives to be competing and overly facile versions of it.

That is the universe. Cold, detached, feeling no obligation to us for the quality of our existence.

Maybe it does not necessarily mean that the universe not 'caring' about your existence. Take parents for example. Regardless of you stating the nature of your existence or not, they have an obligation to you. They feed, clothe, and teach you. The universe implies that it won't help you in your endeavors by just handing things to you.

If you're looking for greater meaning, the universe could represent God, or a deity, implying that they created you and don't necessarily have to take care of you, rather let you discover things for your own and learn.

I think it means that we shouldn't expect the universe (or the world, or other people, or the government) to provide us with what we need just because we exist. Our existence doesn't magically create some sort of obligation in others to care for us, or support us.

I understand this as meaning that you should work for (i.e. earn) things you want, rather than trying to convince other people that they owe you something just because you exist.

Think of it it as "the world doesn't owe you anything". It is quite liberating actually. It makes you take responsibility for your life and not blame others for things you might see as unfair or unjust.