The Hubble telescope image above shows just one tiny section of our universe. It is dense with galaxies of which our own, the Milky Way, is but one insignificant dot. At this scale of course no planets are visible – even a pinprick is too massive in size to describe the scales involved.
Consider this: our galaxy (randomly select one galaxy from the picture as an example) contains some 100 billion planets.
There are in excess of 100 billion galaxies in the universe and this number is likely to increase to about 200 billion as telescope technology in space improves. (Livio, Space.com).
If one planet were to disappear, like, for example, our own, will it make any difference?
Watch the video: http://bit.ly/2kcfliC
See: http://www.space.com/25203-spiral-galaxy-spills-guts-hubble-photo.html
Image source: Dosis Astronomica
Whether or not it would make a difference I can’t say, but a sort of cosmic pessimism will not help feed a hungry child or provide shelter for the homeless. We could use such pessimism to justify doing nothing to help those in need, animals in distress. We could justify every act of evil because, in the bigger scheme of things, nothing matters. But living that way would be a nightmare of cold indifference. Life surely demands more of us than the statistical analysis of astronomical data, right?
You may also want to read about the Butterfly effect – “…the concept that small causes can have large effects”: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_effect
Perhaps your one vote could ensure the election of a leader who takes our planet into a nuclear catastrophe. In Les Miserables, it is the small act of kindness by Bishop Myriel towards Jean Valjean, an ex convict, which leads to the latter’s redemption. Where would the story have lead were it not for this little “flap of a butterfly’s wing”?
“Every single human soul has more meaning and value than the whole of history.” – Nicholas Berdyaev
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