You can only imagine what goes through an astronaut’s head as they have a bird’s eye view of our planet from space – but I think “it’s way down” might be a leading contender.
But for former NASA space cadet Ron Garan, 62, there was only one thing on his mind … the “sobering realization” that we earthlings are “living a lie.”
And no, it’s not like the Flat Earth Brigade was right all along. It’s actually something a lot more convincing.
Just put yourself in Garan’s spacesuit for a second and imagine what he was thinking as he had an uninterrupted view of our globe and experienced what is known as the “overview effect.”
For those who don’t know, this term describes the cognitive shift that many astronauts experience when they look at Earth while floating in space – which the researchers compare to “a state of awe with self-superiority qualities.”
This phenomenon can cause an “unexpected and compelling emotion” for those brave enough to climb aboard a rocket, which, frankly, shouldn’t be all that surprising.
I mean, they’re seeing something that only a few mortals will ever see – I’m pretty sure I’d be fine too.
That’s exactly what Garan had as he spent 178 days in space, traveling more than 71 million miles in 2,842 orbits throughout his NASA career.
With the unique perspective on the world he gained from his time on the International Space Station (ISS), he made some very interesting conclusions about our way of life while looking out the window.
Speaking to Big Think, the New Yorker said he realizes that the things most people worry about aren’t a big deal after all — but we should be a lot more concerned about global warming, deforestation and biodiversity loss.
NASA astronaut Ron Garan woke up quite a bit while in space (ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images)
Discussing what he witnessed, Garan explained: “When I looked out the window of the International Space Station, I saw the paparazzi-like flashes of thunderstorms, I saw dancing curtains of auroras that looked so close, as if we could reach out and touch them.
“And I saw the incredible thinness of our planet’s atmosphere. At that moment I was struck with the sobering realization that this paper-thin layer keeps every living thing on our planet alive.
“I saw an iridescent biosphere teeming with life. I didn’t see the economy. But since our man-made systems treat everything, including the very life support systems of our planet, as a wholly owned subsidiary of the global economy, it is obvious from the perspective of the cosmos that we are living a lie.”
Looks like Elon Musk needs to get this SpaceX rocket sorted immediately so we can all look at this for ourselves.
“From the perspective of the cosmos, it is obvious that we are living a lie,” Garan continued. “We need to move from thinking economy, society, planet to planet, society, economy. Then we will continue our evolutionary process.
“There’s a light bulb that goes off when they realize how interconnected and interdependent we all are.”
The 62-year-old returned to Earth with a new perspective after experiencing the ‘review effect’ (Erica Goldring/Getty Images)
Since getting his feet back on solid ground, Garan has passionately advocated for caring for our planet while encouraging people to put each other before the rat race that is modern life.
“We will not have peace on Earth until we recognize the basic fact of the interconnected structure of all reality,” Garan added — and he’s not alone in this thought process either.
Astronaut Michael Collins, who flew on Apollo 11, said he was amazed by how “fragile” and “small” the Earth seemed, while Edgar Mitchell of Apollo 14 said the experience gave him an “explosion of consciousness”.
