from this distant vantage point the earth might seem of any particular interest but for us it s different considering and a dot that s here that s home that s us on it everyone you love everyone you know everyone you ever heard of every human being who ever was lived out their lives the aggregate or joy and suffering thousands of confident religions ideologies and economic doctrines every hunter and forager every hero and coward ever creator and destroyer of civilization every king and peasant every young couple in love every mother and father hopeful child inventor and explorer every teacher of morals every corrupt politician every super star every supreme leader every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there on the moat of dust suspended in a sunbeam the earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena