Weekly Essay #1 (H1)

Having noticed how everybody else is posting about Pale Blue Dot and the relative size and importance/unimportance of our impact on the universe, etc. I figured I'd throw in my two cents, for what it's worth. Size may be set in stone, but scale is a two way street. The universe is indeed infinitely massive, but it is also made up of infinitely small pieces. We are one example of a number on this never-ending number line, if you will. Somewhere ahead on this line is our planet; beyond that, our solar system, then our galaxy, our galactic cluster. I'm sure we could spend an eternity creating even more levels of organization beyond these (we humans crave organization, after all), but right now the only level that we really have an impact on is that of planet Earth. I won't get into the moral dilemma over saving the planet and its other inhabitants, but I will say this: whether our hand is forced by increasing global inhospitality or if we as a species wake up and march towards our destiny willingly, we must journey outward into the dark reaches of the universe. The whole point of the existence of live is for your species to THRIVE, is it not? To stand resolute against the tides of time, and expand infinitely while others fade into distant memory. Who's to say this principle is limited solely to the confines of the Earth? We may not have a noticeable impact on the whole of reality now, but is it inconceivable to think that as eons pass and the human race forges an undying civilization in the stars of distant galaxies, then we would eventually possess the combined might to shake the very foundations of the universe? The struggle for perfection is an infinite progression, so if you want the human race to succeed then you have to be willing to play the long game. But, the pursuit of knowledge is an honorable one, and if such a concept as eternal life does exist, then it would be nice to look and see the fruits of your labor every few millennia. Food for thought.