The problem with large numbers especially when it comes to money is that it all seems so fake. When the news tosses around thoughts like "the stimulus package may exceed $8 trillion"...what are we supposed to do about that? Most of us have proved that we can't handle the $50,000 that we get paid much less something that's 20,000,000 times that. Then there's all those fantastic people in Washington who can't manage to pay their taxes even though they are the ones who passed those IRS codes into law. Seriously.
So, how do we get a handle on what a trillion dollars looked like? Well, around here we use a cash system for a lot of our purchases...just save up some money and literally hand it over in cash. (The look on their faces is so much fun to watch. You can really tell that cash is a disappearing commodity.) I say that not so you'll figure out where we are and rob us blind...though Hebrews 10:34 comes to mind...but to tell you that I know what a lot of cash looks like. (Well, a lot to us anyway.) But even our yearly salary bundled in hundred dollar bills would only stack about 2 1/2 inches high. Kind of puts everything in perspective. All we work for doesn't stack very high. And even if we work and work and work for 100 years straight, you'd have about 4 stacks all of about five feet high. A little disheartening frankly.
This was brought sharply into focus this morning with this post by Justin Taylor who found it from a guy...who found it from a guy, etc. I've seen it on several spots, but it never fails to startle. Click here to see what it looks like when those folks in Washington toss around figures like one trillion dollars.
Can I take my pallet home please? Half a pallet? One stack? Please?
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