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December    19th

HUMAN   SCALE

“Think  of  the whole   universe    of  matter  and how small   your    share.  Think   about   the expanse of  time

and how brief—almost    momentary—the   part    marked  for you.    Think   of  the workings    of  fate    and

how infinitesimal   your    role.”

—MARCUS AURELIUS,   MEDITATIONS,    5.24

he amount of matter in the universe is immense—on the order of trillions of atoms. What percentage
of that matter does one human body constitute?
The earth, as far as science tells us, is some 4.5 billion years old and shows no sign of ending soon.
Our time on the earth, on the other hand, will be what? Several decades, maybe?
Sometimes we need to have the facts and figures spelled out in front of us to fully realize the scale at
which humans happen to exist in the big scheme of things.
Consider this the next time you feel self-important, or like everything rises and falls on what you do
next. It doesn’t. You’re just one person among many, doing your best among many. That’s all you need to
do.