If we are given eternity, we would wish for an end. In the multitudes of eons and epochs that pass, we would continuously die without the physical manifestation. In man's inability to fathom our own non-existence, we have tried on countless occasions to make ourselves eternal. But I tell you, an eternity, no matter what the company, is worse than any hell I can imagine. So you ask me what I desire? What I desire is an end, once and for all. I desire to see the world in my time and admire it in its own context. Not eternal, not divine, but mortal, and fleeting. And what a glorious thing it is that I live in a time where I can see the universe in that light. Eternity is only beautiful from the stance of mortality.
We live on one simple planet, Earth. That planet is about 12,712 kilometers in diameter from pole to pole. The entire human species is just a speck on the face of this planet. That planet is part of a solar system made up of 8 other planets which revolve around an average star that we call the sun. Our solar system is approximately 287.46 billion kilometers in diameter. Just to give you some perspective on our small little tucked away corner of the universe, the Voyager 1 probe was launched from earth on September 5, 1977 and has been traveling ever since. The total mission duration is about 36 and a half years. During this time, the probe has traveled at a velocity of 17 kilometers every second (that's 11 miles every second). As of August 25, 2012, the voyager finally left our solar system and ventured into interstellar space. That is the scope of our solar system. Let's move out a little more and see how small this massive so...
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