Well, here we are. Against incalculable odds. We exist. The possibility of you ever actually coming into being are basically zero. And that “zero” is 1 in 10 followed by 2,685,000 zeroes, which doesn’t even take into account the odds of any life existing anywhere in the universe. Miraculous.
So. We’re here. Wooee. Those bills ain’t gonna pay themselves, the plague is scorching our lives, and the sh*tshow we call the world is not exactly buying itself a Coke and singing in perfect harmony.
But every single one of us popped out of infinity against the same odds. Isn’t it more fun being improbable together? Improbability loves company, right? Come to think of it, though, the probability of existence is probably not at the fore of anyone’s mind right now (pity). Another probability probably not at the fore of people’s minds is this:
In 2068, Apophis, a 1,000-foot wide asteroid named for the Egyptian God of Chaos, has a high probability of hitting Earth. In 2029 it will pass between our navigation satellites and the ground—visible to the naked eye. Won’t that be exciting. Of course NASA, dear NASA has a plan that will probably work to save us all.
And so as we unlikely beings stroll through our highly improbable existence, it may be worth from time to time remembering these words:
Though it may feel otherwise, enjoying life is no more dangerous than apprehending it with continuous anxiety and gloom.
—Alain de Botton