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I find this video exposé absolutely fascinating…
http://www.upworthy.com/some-strange-things-are-happening-to-astronauts-returning-to-earth
Frank White, author of “The Overview Effect” details the accounts of astronauts who have returned to Earth after having experienced the sensation of seeing our planet from a distance in space.
In short, the astronauts akin the feeling to more than just a “religious experience.” Seeing just how beautiful and special and fragile our planet is from afar, they are reminded that humanity is essentially living in one singular ecosystem – the ecosystem of Earth. It becomes even more apparent that despite cultural differences, we all share that one important commonality of being human beings.
And as White says, “We have to start acting as one species with one destiny.”
I have always been fascinated by space and planetary exploration. As our world continues to get smaller and smaller with advances in technology, we seem to be inching closer and closer towards our discovery of true life on another planet. It seems inevitable, and really, only a matter of time.
I have no doubt our first discovery of life isn’t going to be evolved aliens that probe our minds psychically in order to communicate. It will be microbes, bacterias, organisms of the tiniest of scales. The payoff to the grandest of humanity’s exploration may be as tiny as those microbes, but this will be the greatest achievement ever in our history.
Indeed, scientists have identified bodies outside our solar system within what they consider to be “habitable zones.” According to this article from Astronomy.com…
http://www.astronomy.com/news/2013/11/one-in-five-stars-has-earth-sized-planet-in-habitable-zone
…”20 percent of Sun-like stars in our galaxy have Earth-sized planets that could host life.” To suggest that one in five stars has an earth-sized planet within a zone theoretically capable of supporting life as we know it is personally thrilling, and is scientifically a monumental leap forward in humanity’s quest towards finding life amongst the stars.
And yet, no life has been discovered thus far.
I wonder if when that inevitable day comes, that will be the big “unifier” that will have us come together as a species towards a common destiny of peace throughout our planet.
It does seem like something specific needs to happen to give humanity a true reason to unite. And unite we must. For our race to survive, it is a scientific certainty that we will need to venture away from the Earth. Eventually, our sun will go nova. Before that, we have meteors to contend with. And even before that, our own environmental uncertainty as we continue to drain the planet of its natural resources may force our hand a lot sooner.
One of the reasons I’m such a fan of Star Trek is that it thematically deals with how humanity attempts to better itself in an era when we have already conquered our petty differences. Here, we have already have come together in peace, not just within our own planet, but with friendly species, such as Vulcans, throughout the galaxy. Star Trek gives us hope because it allows us to expand our notions of time and space, and life, beyond the confines of our planet.
It’s a lesson we can learn from, and White reminds us that the time is now to start taking those steps.
We think of ourselves as being the single most evolved lifeform on our planet, but to me, the measure of just how evolved we really will stem directly from our ability to find a true peace and harmony, both with ourselves, and the planet we live on.
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