Former NASA astronaut Ron Garant learned a “harsh reality” during his time in space: He argues that society has its priorities wrong, and he identified what must be done to fix it.
Not many people are lucky enough to be able to see the Earth from space. space.
However, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) The astronaut is one of the select few who have experienced this unique perspective: during his illustrious career, he has spent 178 days in space and traveled 71 miles in 2,842 orbits.
The now retired 62-year-old reflected on his career and said he was struck by the “harsh reality” when he looked down on his home planet.
Speaking at Big Think earlier this week, he recalled the moment he realised we’d been “living a lie”.
He said humanity was spending too much time and focus on the wrong things, and that environmental issues should be a priority instead.
Ron said: “Looking out the window of the International Space Station, I saw paparazzi-like flashes of lightning and dancing curtains of the aurora borealis so close I could reach out and touch them.
“And then I saw the incredible thinness of Earth’s atmosphere. In that moment, I was struck by the solemn realization that this paper-thin layer sustains every living thing on Earth.”
“I saw a rainbow-coloured biosphere teeming with life. I saw no economy. But our man-made system treats everything, including Earth’s life support systems, as a wholly owned subsidiary of the global economy, so from space it’s clear we’re living a lie.”
Further exploring the “lie,” he continues, “It is clear from space that we are living in a lie. We need to move from an economy-society-planet mindset to a planet-society-economy mindset, so that we can continue our evolutionary process.”
“When they realize how interconnected and interdependent we all are, it starts to have an epiphany.”
