In The Grand Scheme Of Things…
Consider the following:
- There are about 1e25 planets in the observable universe. And about 70 quintillion estimated in the universe in total.
- The Earth is about 4.543 billion years old.
- The Universe is about 13.8 billion years old.
- Homo Sapiens have existed for around 200,000 years.
Suppose you’re Elon Musk and let’s say you hypothetically extend the human race to have another 2 million years before extinction. Other words: your contribution lets the human race live 10 more times of our entire human history. This means you’ve successfully:
- Extended human life by around .04% of Earth’s age.
- Allowed human life to make up roughly .014% of the Universe’s age by the time of our extinction.
- Made these tiny improvements for only one race from one planet, out of 1e25 to 70 quintillion planets.
It’s safe to say Elon Musk is more important than you, and in the grand scheme of things even he is completely insignificant. Ergo, you’re likely an even more insignificant speck of dust in the universe. As am I.
And That’s A Good Thing.
The fact that almost nothing on Earth is important means you should give yourself permission to live the life you want.
Knowing that nothing really matters lets you forget about what your parents or your friends think of you and your decision to pursue your dreams. The fact that nothing matters means you don’t have to live a life to please other people. Knowing you’re going to die anyway and that you’re just a speck of dust means you don’t have to take yourself so seriously all the damn time. It’s OK to take a step back, enjoy life, and make the choice to be happy.
Internalize this so you can be free of any artificial mental constraints, which is an unbelievably liberating thing.