July 14, 2009

2.3 billion years…

…is apparently how long the earth has before the sun fries it, according to TIME.  That’s 1 billion more revolutions than was previously predicted.

When I first read this, I was oddly comforted about our increased permanence.  Then I did a mental double-take - what reason did I have to be so relieved?  It’s not like I’m going to be around to be feel the difference.

When people ask each other, “would you ever want to live forever?” I always consider the proposition in chunks of hundreds, maybe thousands of years tops.  But billions?  That length of time is bursting with get-me-outta-here.