This image reminds me also of the saying "being a big fish in a little pond" or "being a small fish in a big pond" when referring to how we feel in relation to the people around us, whether we feel important or insignificant.  I remember experiencing these feelings especially in coming to college.  When I first got to Penn State I didn't know many people and I felt so insignificant and lost in a sea of faces when I first got here.  Three years later, I feel more like a big fish, when I can walk around and run into people that I know and feel like I have more purpose here.