If the earth is taken to be 4.5 billion years old (it’s probably a little older than that), and if you plot out a 1-mile long timeline of its history, then the dinosaurs went extinct about 25 yards back from the current time, and the history of human civilization fits in the last one-seventh of an inch. The Old Testament patriarchs are said to have lived about 4,000 years ago, which puts them back about a twelfth of an inch. The Homeric epics belong to a period that’s about one-twentieth of an inch behind tomorrow. Remember, the earth formed a mile back.
If you’re still feeling haughty, consider too that you’re one of several billion inhabitants, all descended from what we call “lower” life forms, of one insignificant planet in an obscure star system in a corner of one of perhaps a trillion galaxies.
When things aren’t going my way, I like to meditate on my insignificance, and I’d recommend the coping technique to others–maybe the Duke guy who threw the pass that got deflected with about 5 seconds left in a basketball game played on Sunday. You should have just held the ball, but, bruh, forget it, doesn’t matter.
Eric the Blue 
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