Space Cadet

Recently, I've been plagued by thoughts about both the universe and my place in it. These thoughts were catalyzed when I was re-exposed to the concept of the Cosmic Calendar: a method presented by Carl Sagan in the late 1970s used to condense the 13.8 billion year history of the universe into a single calendar year. In this model, The Big Bang occurred on January 1 at midnight, and our current moment in time is mapped at December 31 at midnight.


The scale is at once simple and yet utterly staggering. In the Cosmic Calendar there are 438 years per second, 1.58 million years per hour and 37.8 million years per day. Following the model set up by the Cosmic Year, I exist at 23:59:59 on December 31st. The span of human history, from the First Writing until now, represents a mere 00:00:12. Tack on our evolution from primates - a 2.5 million year process - and we're still only around for 00:07:28 of the Year.

By this logic, a human life - and a long one at that - amounts to less than 1/4th of a second. That is roughly a blink of an eye. In the History of Existence, it seems we are infinitesimal.

“So, I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you.” - Paolo Coelho, The Alchemist

As with any aspect of the human condition, there are countless ways to interpret this reality. For the sake of brevity, I will explore one. For the sake of alacrity, I will keep it light.
It's terribly easy to experience melancholia when one tries to grasp just how small one is, but I like to take that unease and flip it on its head. Think about it:

We live in a universe that is infinite and constantly expanding outwards.
Within this universe, a galaxy formed containing 100-400 billion stars.
Within this galaxy, a particular region of large molecular cloud happened to experience gravitational collapse, giving birth to the Sun.
Around the Sun, a Solar System of planets formed.
Of these planets, just one happened to have the atmospheric and chemical composition that could support and sustain terrestrial life.
On this planet, millions of years of evolution have taken place, millions of species have gone extinct, and billions of human beings have lived and died.

You're one of them. You exist.

So many circumstances, so much time, so much history has gone into your existence, and in turn you affect the balance of the future. You being here, and now, at 23:59:59, is tantamount to all things. It's terrifying, but it's beautiful. And it sure makes all of the moments in your life seem a lot more relevant than the bat of an eyelash.