That's 50,000 times longer than most of you have lived. More discussion about time in later lectures. But one thing we have to remember when studying the earth is that things that seem like they take a long time to us, may take only a short time to earth. We're part of it. Dust to Dust.
Humans have the capability to make rapid changes.
All construction from houses to roads to dams are effected by the Earth, and thus require some geologic knowledge. All life depends on the Earth for food and nourishment. The Earth is there everyday of our lives. Energy and Mineral resources that we depend on for our lifestyle come from the Earth. At present no other source is available.