Have you ever wondered at how old the universe is? How old the Earth, our home planet, is? Have you wondered where do human beings fit in the grand scheme of the known universe? Let us briefly look at the awesomeness of this place we call reality.
The universe is around 13.8 billion years old and the Earth is around 4.5 billion years old. Just pause for a second and appreciate the immensity of such time scales. It is said that if the entire 13.8 billion year history of the universe were to be compressed in a year’s calendar, with January 1st representing the origin of the universe via the Big Bang, then the whole of human history would occur in the last second of the last minute before the end of December 31st! Every civilisation and culture that you can think of, every great leader, every tyrant, every saint and sinner, the hundreds of thousands of years since Homo sapiens entered the earthly drama, all of it would have taken place in that last second. How mind-boggling, how awesome and magnificent, is this existence we call the physical universe! Equally awesome is the fact that of all the life forms on our planet, we are the only organisms that have the ability to understand and learn about the secrets of the Cosmos and literally transform the world around us through our understanding of Nature and our technologies. We are the only organisms that have the notions of meaning, truth and beauty and can produce great works of literature and art as well as profound works of philosophy and spirituality as we continue to grace our home planet as a species. What an honour that is for a species that has existed only in the last second of the Cosmic calendar!
So dear reader, whether you’re a student or a lifelong learner, whether you’re studying the sciences or the humanities, let every day of yours be filled with a sense of curiosity and wonder as you learn whatever it is that you’re learning for that is the heart and soul of true education. That is the privilege that you have been given by God. Step up to that honour and keep learning!
