How long is "a long time"? To a
computer, a brief second is a long time. When compared to the amount of time it took for the
earth to cool itself down enough to support
life, a second is nothing at all. To us human-types, our lives fill up "A Long Time". Although relative to the
cosmos our lifespans are short and
insignificant, the average amount of time a human lives is a good way for us to measure out time.
30 seconds can be a long time when you're waiting to get out of a boring
lecture. A year can fly by when you're enjoying life. It seems time is indeed
relative.
It dawned on me the other day that humans have been on this earth for over 2000 years, much longer in fact. Considering I can hardly
comprehend the 100 years or so that I'm expected to live, I can hardly comprehend 2000 years, let alone the amount of time it takes light to reach us from another
star, or the amount of time it takes for life to
evolve.
So I conclude that any amount of time is a long time from the right
point of view. A better question might be "What is the
Longest time?