Shoes of a Trillionaire

Right now, in this moment in time, a trillionaire walks the earth.

There’s only one of them.

The term 'trillionaire' itself is no longer an abstract exaggeration casually hurled at the wealthy. There is one unique pair of shoes taking steps among the 8.3 billion humans on planet Earth because they are worn by the only trillionaire ever to exist. At the same time, at least 300 million people go barefoot. This meets the definition of injustice. When I see the world’s first trillionaire, I can’t help but think of the prayers that could be answered but will remain unanswered.

I do all the things I normally do to try and regain focus. I remind myself to be concerned about my place in the world and how I use my paycheck. I make sure my dollars are targeted at causes that save and restore human lives in my neighborhood, city, and country. This is a good start and can go a long way to stay grounded. In a way, it makes my shoes feel at home with humanity.

I stay grounded by reminding myself that this trillionaire is only human, and our lives are brief when we consider the scope of reality.

If you could compress the age of the Universe, which scientists tell us is 13.8 billion years old, into the span of an average human lifespan of about 80 years, one day of that universe would equal 470,000 years. The average human lifespan would last approximately 14.6 seconds. Or as the scriptures say, “…For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”

You or I may marvel at the economic power bound up in one single human being, but this one individual gets to be rich for one small breath taken by the universe. With that scale in mind, I shouldn’t be so upset.

I’m also past the point of finding some kind of refuge in the idea of divine judgment. I no longer take comfort in telling myself, “God will get’em.” Expecting something beyond space and time to exact punitive, eternal justice on 14.6 seconds' worth of life seems out of scope. More importantly, it’s out of character for the God I call friend.

Once I’ve done these mental gymnastics, I feel like I’ve done a spiritual stretch and get back to real life. The life that is about 14.6 seconds in the grand scheme of things. Real life, where 14.6 seconds in human time is enough to properly introduce yourself to another person. Or where we can marvel at a bolt of lightning that lasts less than a second but can light up the entire sky. In 14.6 seconds, the human mind can process roughly 1.6 billion bits of information, where we can map a room, regulate our breathing, recall memories, and interpret the emotional tones of our family. Moments are powerful, and we live in these moments.  We are significant in our own right, but we also have the capacity to perform acts of significance through kindness, grace, hospitality, and love.

For what it’s worth, I hope Elon Musk uses his power well. I hope he understands he’s in a unique position to make the world a better place. But you and I are also in a unique position surrounded by our own communities, and we have power, albeit on a different scale, but power nonetheless.

Don’t let the existence of trillionaires rob you of the opportunity to see the world around you.

In light of eternity, the shoes of a trillionaire are worth the same as yours.

Do great things, shine some shoes today, and be great at being human.

Thanks for reading!

Note: I’m not a math guy, and I’ve never been. I am inspired by the works of Carl Sagan, and the idea of compressing the age of the universe came from his famous Universe Calendar concept.