This isn't as strange as it sounds. You aren't really counting dividends through the end of the next millennium. After a while the present value of far-off dividends is close enough to 0 that it doesn't affect the price of the stock very much. Unlike bonds and savings accounts, stocks don't pay a set rate. As a company grows, the amount of money it has to share with its owners grows, too.
Strong companies can increase their dividends far faster than the rate of inflation.
And that is one of the keys to understanding what a share of stock is worth. It's a rather nice series. I wish I'd written it. Dividends have been added to the total return of the index. Stocks are chosen once per year using a formula based on dividend yield and price.