I sometimes think of an old book "The Mad Scientists' Club", that was popular among Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts, and geeks of course. There was an interesting observation somewhere in there (the chapter on their lighter-than-airship I think) where they were making their way at night by use of a pair of powerful flashlights, a compass, and two sets of binoculars. The compass and a flashlight and binocs stayed at the point of origin, the other flashlight and binocs went as far in the generally right direction as possible where each could see the other. Anyway, the summary idea was articulated in the form that otherwise, it's like trying to draw a mile long straight line with a one inch ruler.
Wow, that was the long way around.
It's analogous to our own brief lives and how our perspective is so tightly defined by our longevity. Or maybe I just need to drink some electrolytes and take a nap.
And thousands of miles would require thousands of boy scouts because at a certain point they would not be able to see each other and would need another crew to go further and still see the one behind them.
And of course the crew two points back is worthless at that point as is every other crew behind them. They are the past.
We are like one of those crews and soon enough we will be out of view