​Zeroes

Ever since we’ve known about Dark Energy and the increased rate of expansion in the Cosmos, we’ve realized that the End of Everything is far off, really far off, maybe a tredecillion years far off. That’s a one followed by 42 zeroes, as Americans reckon numbers. Go ahead, write it out: 
 
000,000,000,0…No, I don’t want to; if you want, you can write the number. And in doing so, keep in mind that it’s been about 1,000 since the Vikings, 2,000 since Augustus Caesar, 3,000 since the fall of Troy, 4,000 since… Get the picture? We’re dealing with only THREE ZEROES so far. The origin of our species? Maybe 250,000 years ago; add another zero for the rise of bipedalism, go back 65,000,000 years to the fall of the dinosaurs and the rise of mammals; and, going back, back, back, nine zeroes to the origin of Earth itself at 4.5 X 10^9, and by adding a few more nine-zero years, 13,700,000,000 to the origin of the Cosmos. Lots of zeroes. Billion has 9; trillion has 12, quadrillion, 15; quintillion, 18…tredecillion has 42 zeroes.  
 
Mind if I ask? How old are you in zeroes? Got one under your belt? Not too many of us have two. No one has ever had three. How many zeroes do you hope to have? The entire Inca Empire rose and fell in about two zeroes. Egypt, more or less an identifiable group of people from origin to today, have been around for three zeroes, at best in their specific origins along the NIle to four zeroes or 10,000 years ago. 
 
Am I trying to depress you? Sorry if that’s a consequence, but the numbers are the numbers. Should I draw some “feel good” lessons from them? 

1. Although humans don’t live long, they do, in fact, live lives of self-consciousness with knowledge of both past and potential future, such as that End-of-Everything some tredecillion years from now. 
2. Of the estimated 100 billion humans who have inhabited the Cosmos, you are among the fortunate ones who reached your present age. Many died younger; thus, the lower average lifespan of your ancestors. You might not reach 100, but you’re currently on your way, and barring bad genes, bad choices, and bad circumstances, you might make it.  
3. In just 13.7 billion years, just a tiny fraction of 42 zeroes in its expected lifespan, the universe produced you, a unique being with a unique history and unique future.
4. Given the conscious you have, you give meaning to an otherwise meaningless conglomeration of matter and energy. And, hey, look at this, you can manipulate that meaning and with certain limitations, use both matter and energy as you will. 
5. You can set the value of everything. Sure, the value you set will pass just as the value of wampum has passed, but for a zero or two, as long as you live, you can impose value and you might even pass on values to ensuing generations. 
6. You have the potential to shape the nature of the next zeroes. What’s keeping you from becoming the next Buddha, the next Christ, the next Plato or Aristotle? If you want to expend some of that energy you control in shaping those future zeroes, do so.
7. Maybe, and more importantly, you can make the zeroes under your control the best of those 42 zeroes. 

 
Some might argue that zeroes are nothing. I argue that zeroes are whatever we make of them. Make the best of however many you get.