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Blogs by Stephen Kata
Perspective 8/3/2011 5:09:01 AM
If we consider ourselves on a cosmic level, we begin to understand our significance,
or rather, lack of it. Science tells us that most of the universe is, after all, empty space
or dust. We coexist uneasily on this singular speck of dirt -- apparently, (until proven
otherwise), the only such speck containing life as we know it in the entire universe. The
most improbable of all probabilities is that we exist at all, much less that this existence
is essential to the rest of creation. Astrology suggests that the planets and other celestial
bodies affect us. Nothing at all tells us that we in any way affect the entirety of the rest
of the universe.
Even on a planetary level, we have reason to wonder. How important do you feel you are?
How unique are the tragic experiences in your life? A look at some basic statistics can
put the answers to these questions in perspective.
Somewhere in the world at this moment, people are facing the death of someone dear
to them. Worldwide, this will happen almost 7,000 times in the next hour and 164,000
times today. Of that total number, 22,000 will be deaths of children under the age of 5.
If each person has (conservatively) an average of 3 people for whom the person's death
would be a tragic loss, then about half a million people have experienced the same kind
of tragedy you and I have on any given day around the world.
We are 2 of the approximately 7 billion people alive on earth today, and 2 of the at least
70 billion, and possibly as many as 110 billion people, who have ever lived on earth.
Yes, you and I are unique – just like everyone else.
