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#555: The Liberation of Cosmic Insignificance Therapy — Oliver Burkeman

The Tim Ferriss Show

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A Blink in Time

Human history can be visualized as a continuous chain of centenarians, demonstrating a surprisingly close relationship between significant historical events and our own lives. Centenarians have existed throughout history, and by counting generations, major epochs like the age of the Egyptian pharaohs, the birth of Jesus, and the Renaissance are revealed to be just a handful of lifetimes ago. This perspective highlights that the unfolding of human civilization has been rapid, emphasizing that individual lives are mere fleeting moments within an expansive timeline. Consequently, one’s existence appears infinitesimal when contrasted with the vastness of both the past and future cosmos.

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