Let each passing day represents some 38 million years. At the end of one year of such days—on the last day of the year, after 13.8 billion years—the present-day human species is evident. 

The point of this analogy is that the universe appeared out of what we would see as nothing, to evolve as a cosmos which is seemingly infinite in breadth. In this cosmos are at least hundreds of billions of galaxies, containing countless trillions of planets, each with features particular to its own development.

Our earthly species began to powerfully affect its environment only during the last half of the last second of the last day—according to our analogy—of the entire year.

So, while humankind has had a developmental effect on our earth (or even outer space) during the blink of an eye compared to one year, the superlative intelligence of the cosmos has operated unassisted and unhindered for 13.8 billion calendar years. And counting.

Look around you. You see evidence of this super-natural intelligence everywhere you look. The planet earth could turn into a hockey puck tomorrow, and be a rotating ice-skating rink the following day, in cosmic time—and the universe wouldn’t even blink.

Human’s appearance on earth was not the subject of our control. The disappearance of all life forms on earth is ultimately beyond human control.

The pre-existing intelligence, or power, has been the source of our very being. It could easily, through natural causes, be the source of our end. And this end, various sciences tell us, could come unexpectedly, and even more immediately than appears possible.

This majesty owes nothing to us.

[from audio recording #260.]