Why am I me and you are you in the first place? It’s a question worth thinking about. Could it be that our sense of personal identity as a separate self is an illusion? Our entire perception of reality is an illusion, and that is confirmed by physics. From a cosmic perspective there’s no such thing as time, so all talk of what happens later is meaningless.

There’s no need to seek solace in the hoped for survival of the human species. That is because the higher essence of humanity is part of something infinitely bigger. Our tears and fears are as nothing in the face of ultimate reality.

I suppose that we get more "lift" from the expected continuity of the human race than we realize. It confers a kind of half-baked immortality on us to feel that we are contributing to something that will live on, sort of on our behalf and somewhat because of us. And sure, the certain knowledge that humanity is doomed shortly after our own lifetime, would change our calculus about what was important or worthwhile.

Still, when you really unpack it, whether or not humanity survives has very little actually to do with what I do or don't do. I do not expect to occupy much of the thoughts of my descendants when I am gone, and I certainly don't expect any of my great grandchildren to know squat about me. After all, I could not tell you anything about my great-grandparents. I don't even know their names.

I think it's better to let go of what Ernest Becker called our "immortality projects" and similar "inflations" and just find meaning and purpose in the present moment that presents itself to us. There is plenty to be found there once you get over yourself.