Size and Value in the Cosmos

A old and graying trope, typically used to disparage organized religion but also to degrade the inherent value of humanity in general, is that we can't have much value as a race or individual seeing as we're an almost infinitesimal speck in a huge and expanding universe. And so we are, in terms of the geography of space. But what, really, has that to do with anything?

When we are thinking about the spiritual value of something, or of how good, bad, or indifferent it is in terms of morality or underlying value, size isn't a concern. Is a six foot tall man a better man than one who is 5 foot 11? Perhaps, but not because he's taller. What a man is worth, what humanity is worth, is something we must determine based on dozens of things far more critical than how far away he might be from Andromeda. That fact is ultimately unimportant. It's only incidental, with no significant bearing at all upon what types of creatures we are, and has relatively little to say about our place or role in existence.

Have a good Monday, friends.