... We are species poised between an awareness of our ultimate insignificance and an ability to reach far beyond our mundane lives, into the void, to solve the most fundamental mysteries of the cosmos. (p. 5)
... It is said that astronauts returning from space carry with them a changed perspective on the world, the "overview effect," in which, having seen the Earth from above, they can fully perceive how fragile our little oasis is and how unified we ought to be as a species, as perhaps the only thinking beings in the cosmos.
For me, thinking about the ultimate destruction of the universe is just such an experience. There's an intellectual luxury in being able to ponder the farthest reaches of deep time, and having the tools to speak about it coherently. When we ask the question, "Can this all really go on forever?," we are implicitly validating our own existence, extending it indefinitely into the future, taking stock, and examining our legacy. Acknowledging an ultimate end gives us context, meaning, even hope, and allows us, paradoxically, to step back from our petty day-to-day concerns and simultaneously live more fully in the moment. (p. 7)