4 “O Lord, make me know my end
and what is the measure of my days;
let me know how fleeting I am!

5 Behold, you have made my days a few hand-breadths,
and my lifetime is as nothing before you.
Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!" Ps.39

It doesn't take an especially religious person to understand the nature of our mortal lives. As I have said elsewhere, it helps to have faith, not least because it establishes meaning and purpose in the here and now. Others might argue that this kind of meaning is bollocks and therefore merely a crutch for the weak or gullible. I am not convinced of their reasoning, which can begin to sound a little like envy at times. It seems to me that regardless of whether the religious faith can prove the truth of its beliefs (which is well-nigh impossible and rather pointless besides) the act of believing can undoubtedly improve a person's life psychologically. From that, much else that is good follows.

On the other hand, it is possible to stare into the night sky as a fervent non-believer, to consider the vastness and wonder of the universe, and know "how fleeting I am." You don't need faith, just a sense of perspective. We are tiny in the face of hugeness, which is sobering.

The increasing tragedy of this late-modern era is that many people who should know better are besotted by ego and hubris, failing to see that they are "a mere breath." To miss this point is sad. Who can not look at a cherry-blossom and fail to see the bitter-sweet truth of its beauty and its fleeting fragility. Those people should not be in positions of influence, or power.