2012 - A New Perspective

These are critical times filled with challenges of every sort – climate changes, environmental issues: food, water and energy shortages, financial woes: rich vs. poor and let’s not forget the disparity between already developed and developing/underdeveloped nations that are ever present and continue to defy our ability to unite globally, as a world, completely and totally. No holds barred.

Add to the mix religion, politics and cultural diversity and we have the perfect recipe for keeping everyone at odds rather than meeting our greatest need: a global vision of planetary unity and purpose for humanity as a whole.

How do we continue to allow this to be? More importantly – WHY?

For almost 50 years astronauts from all corners of the globe have been floating in, well, basically, tin cans above the earth. Each and every one of the approximate 500 space explorers have been profoundly affected after seeing the earth from the perspective of the moon or at least, way, way – way, way up there.

They have an overwhelmingly new perspective on life. It affects them physically, spiritually and psychologically. This phenomena is referred to as The Overview Effect, a phrase coined by Boston based systems-management consultant and writer for space journals, Frank White, in his 1987 book by the same name.

The experience is of seeing the reality of Earth, first-hand, from space and immediately understanding the fragility and vulnerability of all the life on this little ball that seems to be just hanging in the void. The realization that the protection of this sphere is coming only from the paper-thin atmosphere that surrounds it while at the same time provides the earth all the nourishment she requires to exist is almost incomprehensible and completely awesome.

All at once the astronauts realize that there is indeed an obvious sense of urgency imperative to protecting this little pale blue dot.

These astronauts do not see lines dividing countries. The boundaries are gone, they simply vanish. They now understand that the conflicts dividing our nations are much less important and the profound need to unite all societies is of the utmost importance. It’s vital to our survival as a planet.

Many of them believe unity is imminently achievable, if only more people could have the experience!

It’s unfortunate that despite their best efforts to explain and describe what they see and feel from some 22,000 miles up seems to fall on deaf ears. Communicating the awesomeness of it all is difficult at best. Recent advances in cognitive science strongly suggest that these difficulties are directly related to the limitations of conventional media in communicating the rich and perspective altering experience of space.

Although most of us will never get to enjoy this astounding view first-hand, I believe we too, can get that feeling.

I believe, while it is intuitively valid to many, it is often marginalized as a philosophical, metaphysical or even an aesthetic epiphany rather than the fundamental perspective-altering experience that astronauts and scientists alike, suggest that it is.

Just look at this photo (below), Earth above the lunar horizon, taken by Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders in 1968. This "Earthrise" has become a symbol of our planet's beauty and fragility. Pretty cool, right? Wait it gets better.
 

 
 
Check this out - a photo from February 14, 1990. On Valentine’s Day NASA controllers instructed the Voyager 1 spacecraft to turn around and take one last look at its home planet as it pushed on to the fringe of our solar system. Look closely at the photo below. I mean really closely. Take it in. This is the resulting image from Voyager 1. You might need a magnifiying glass as PC monitors do not do this photo justice. Do you see that tiny pinpoint of light in the center, off to the right, the dot that is within the pale purple stream of light on the right? Look for it – it’s there, the tiny, almost miniscule, pale blue dot, the really little one. Got it?
 
That’s us! You, me . . . all of us. Every single one of us that calls Earth home is living on that dot that you’re looking at right now, from the viewpoint of the farthest reaches of space. Is that not just so wicked cool?

 
Kind of diminishes all of our problems and really allows us to take into account how important each individual life truly is. It brings forth what we know to be true but don’t really practice: stop judging, stop hating, stop accusing . . . start FORGIVING, start LOVING and start LIVING. How can you not get that overview effect when you realize you're living on that dot in the photo? There are no words really. At least fo rme. Well okay, there is one, ineffable.
 
We are all part of such a HUGE puzzle and each and everyone of us plays a very significant role. No matter how small YOU feel your role is, it is indeed significant. We are ALL key players in the effort to keep this planet flourishing.

We no longer need to wonder if we are all connected. We see it in these photos. Compassion is what connects us. A lot of people think love connects humans, but love is far too personal. Compassion is the connecting force, to me anyway. It’s what drives us to help others in any way we can. Those who are afflicted with disease, or are suffering due to some type of destruction – and I’m talking about people on the other side of this pale bluedot; the one’s we don’t know but help anyway through food and coat drives, fund-raising efforts, sending in military to assist in rebuilding their homes and lives or whatever else we can do to get them through their plight. That’s compassion.

It’s astonishing to believe after seeing these photos that we, the stewards of our Earth, do not also experience The Overview Effect. We are her inhabitants. From these photos I see an Earth that graciously and continuously provides for me and all of us, her inhabitants, no matter what. It’s time we gave back. It’s time to help our planet and become peaceful, caring, kind, nurturing, forgiving and loving beings.

We need to step up and protect her from ourselves – not just for US, but for future generations so they too may experience The Overview Effect – perhaps someday, all people will experience it from the perspective of 22,000+ up. For now, these photos will have to do it for most of us – I know it does it for me.

Go back and take a look at them again. Get that feeling for yourself and become a true steward of this little pale blue dot we call home.

Through our own individual efforts, we are able to declare our interdependence with one another, the planet as a whole and well, actually the entire cosmos.

Socrates said, “Humanity must rise above the earth, to the top of the atmosphere and beyond. For only then will we understand the world in which we live.”

If Socrates got it, and let’s remember, there were no space explorers or cameras back then, we all can get it.

Make an effort in 2012 to become a true steward to this planet you call home. When you do, you’ll find you’ve actually become a most wonderful steward to yourself as well.