A little perspective.

[Tyler Durden]

If we all disappear, or worst case, fade away as we semi-sterilize the planet with the feces of our civilization, in 50,000 years the Earth would not even notice we'd been here.

In fact, with the exception of some of our worst feces (Nuclear Waste), in 50,000 years you wouldn't even be able to find evidence we'd been here at all, with the possible exception of some Antarctic garbage frozen a mile or so down where "Little America" use to be.

We are transients, setting up our shanty towns where we can eek out an existence that, as we continue to bloat ourselves up with the foolishness of our egos, show our irrelevance to the eventual fate of the planet, the solar system, the VIRGO arm, the MILKY WAY, the LOCAL GROUP, the LOCAL SUPERGROUP, the UNIVERSE, and any other possible universe (that is if you accept the "Membrane/Multiverse" current theories of existence).

We take ourselves and our impacts on the future FAR too seriously; our existence itself is irrelevant to anyone except ourselves. So take a minute from the INSANE pseudo-crisis of "Super Tuesday" to smell the roses, hug your kid or spouse, drink a really good cup of coffee, meditate, pray or whatever else gives meaning to our far too fleeting individual existence.

In the words of my late beloved Father, "In 100 years, who's going to care?" So care NOW about you and yours, for in 100 years, who's going to care, and in 50,000 years, who's going to even know?

[SoCalDem]

1. I use the "100 year" theory too..

Your dad was a wise man.. :hug:

[Tyler Durden]

2. Wish I could believe I'll see him in some other existence....

Sometimes I envy the religious. Would that I could believe what I cannot.

[SoCalDem]

4. I always told my boys that loved ones are still "with us" as long as someone

who knew them is alive.. They stay with us..inside our heads.. never leave and never age..and in fact as we get older, we sometimes remember more about them..

they didn't believe me, but as they get older they see it.. The are starting to recall things they did with their Grandparents when they were little kids..and not remembering the sad stuff at the end opf their grandparents' lives..

Maybe "heaven" is inside our loved ones' heads :)

[Tyler Durden]

5. You know, I'm almost happy to watch this one sink.

Makes me feel a little better about myself on the sliding scale!

[OneGrassRoot]

6. Not sure why that comment made me laugh...

but it did. ;)

Lovely and wise OP indeed. Thank you.



:hi:

[Tyler Durden]

7. In retrospect, it has some things in common with this:

Melvin Udall: I might be the only person on the face of the earth that knows you're the greatest woman on earth. I might be the only one who appreciates how amazing you are in every single thing that you do, and how you are with Spencer, "Spence," and in every single thought that you have, and how you say what you mean, and how you almost always mean something that's all about being straight and good. I think most people miss that about you, and I watch them, wondering how they can watch you bring their food, and clear their tables and never get that they just met the greatest woman alive. And the fact that I get it makes me feel good, about me.


The fact that I "get it" about how little this all means in the balance makes me feel good. About me. Sort of feeding MY outrageous ego!

[Echo In Light]

3. The planet is fine. The people are fucked n/t

[MedleyMisty]

8. Is it really irrelevant to anyone else?

How many species is it that go extinct every day because of us? Their lives matter. If we were just killing ourselves, yay and good riddance, but I curl up into a fetal position and cry when I think of polar bears swimming and swimming and never finding ice and drowning.

[Tyler Durden]

10. I do not disagree....

Merely taking a much longer than usual view.

ALL of the giant mammals of the pleistocene are gone, and that goes back 25,000 years or thereabouts. Nothing lasts forever.

So actually one needs to stand what I said on its head: what we seem to care so much about (present company excluded): gas, oil, money, power, religions, all seem to pale when put up against the ruler of the years, so perhaps we shouldn't spend so much time caring so passionately about them..?

[Greyhound]

9. So true, but I do feel for the incalculable suffering we impose on the other living

beings that share this dirt ball with us.

[Tyler Durden]

11. all the more reason to ease off on our so very odd goals:

Money, power, OIL?