Mankind: a burden or Special Purpose Entity
Universe The universe is the totality of everything that exists, including all physical matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Mankind and the Scale & Scope of the Universe There are trillions of galaxies, each containing billions of stars and planets. The observable universe alone spans about 93 billion light-years in diameter and is constantly expanding. Compared to these staggering numbers, mankind is insignificant. The Earth is only one of the countless planets orbiting one of the countless stars in one of the countless galaxies in the universe. The human lifespan is only a blink of an eye in the cosmic timeline. The human developments are only a tiny fraction of the natural wonders and mysteries of the universe. From this perspective, mankind has no material significance for the universe, and that our existence is irrelevant to the grand scheme of things. The vast interstellar systems that disseminate throughout the universe w