bob’slog – What’s a Trillion?!
filed under Uncategorized on July 03, 2009
0
I recently read this in one of our smartmarriages e-newsletters and I found it both fascinating…, and nauseating!
- HOW MUCH IS A TRILLION?
Large numbers get tossed around and we get numb to what they mean…..
Let’s use seconds to put a trillion in perspective:
1 million seconds = 12 days, so a million seconds ago would be June 21, 2009
1 billion seconds = 32 years ago, wow, way way back in 1977
1 trillion seconds = Eeeeeek – 32,000 years – approximately 30,000 years BC, before Christ!
Greg and I looked at how we got into this thirteen Trillion dollar indebtness mess, and we realized it probably began as many addictions or maladaptations do – one small decision to accept what we know is not acceptable. In this case, I think I recall some thirty years ago when our government began to print money which had no backing in gold. We began to live beyond our means…, moving us into millions, and then billions, and now trillions of dollars of indebtedness. We grew accustomed to that which was once appalling to us. What at one time shocked our sensibilities became something we could tolerate.
It is the same slippery slope we men find ourselves in when we who are married take that quick glance over to check out the hot babe who lives next door. We know it’s not right, but after all, a little looksee won’t hurt, right? It’s not much different than when ‘we get a taste for’ those awesome Ice Cappacinno’s from Tim Horton’s, even though we can almost immediately feel what’s resulting in our arteries. One sip won’t hurt, right? But then we begin to crave something which was never helpful to begin with. Probably it’s most similar to the first time we made the decision to tolerate not paying off our credit card debt immediately at the end of ther month. What’s the big deal with carrying over a few hundred dollars, just for this month…, this one time.
Proberbs 4.23, ”Above all else, guard you heart, for out of it flows the wellspring of life.” is made more specific through Paul encouraging us to ‘take our thoughts captive’. Those initial thoughts, ideas, desires which we let slide without the benefit of any governor will eventually lead lead us in, way over our heads. The next thing you know, emotional, spiritual, physical, or financial ‘ interest’ accrues and we suddenly have no idea how we found ourselves in so deep. What’s a Trillion? – probably not very much in comparison to where we gonna be a decade from now! What comes after a Trillion anyway? We probably don’t want to know.
