178 days in space,

May shift one’s perspective, does it make it any more valid?

“Garan is one of those fortunate people to have experienced a pristine view of our beautiful planet from the International Space Station. “When we see our planet from the perspective of space, certain things become undeniably clear. We keep trying to deal with issues such as global warming, deforestation and biodiversity loss, as standalone issues, when in reality, they’re just symptoms of the underlying root problem. And the problem is that we don’t see ourselves as planetary,” he said. Garan got to admire incredible natural phenomena like flashes of lightning and auroras from space. In those moments, Garan realized that a “paper-thin” atmosphere is protecting a myriad of species in our planet. “I saw an iridescent biosphere teeming with life. I didn’t see the economy,” he added

That’s when it struck Garan that what we prioritize and value in life is quite trivial compared to the truth that we are planetary beings. “Since our human-made systems treat everything, including the very life-support systems of our planet, as the wholly-owned subsidiary of the global economy, it’s obvious from the vantage point of space that we’re living a lie,” the astronaut explained. Garan pointed out that humans need to sort our priorities from “economy, society, planet,” to “planet, society, economy.” He emphasized that it is essential for humans to evolve better.

Garan then spoke about how this perspective is a common factor among many astronauts. It’s called the “Overview effect,” which makes astronauts who come back from space feel like they’ve gone through a transformation. “The overview effect describes the shift that astronauts have when they see the planet hanging in the blackness of space. There’s this light bulb that pops up where they realize how interconnected and interdependent we all are,” the astronaut explained. Garan highlighted that people need to realize “the basic fact of the interrelated structure of all reality.” The fact that we on Earth are all “inextricably linked” to each other as sentient beings in this planet should be perceived in people’s minds, as per Garan.”

Is the above sci-fi? A parody? From a horror film? I’m sure all three statements would feel true to someone. To me, it’s how I feel down here. Fortunately I never had to leave the planet…