Might Jeff Bezos And His Phallic Shaped Rocket Salvage Humanity?
I may have made a mistake. Yes, another one. Color me human.
I’ve been ranting to friends about the ridiculousness of billionaires’ recent space shenanigans. Why are they spending all that time and money to blast off into the cosmos when there are so many things that need to be addressed right here on Earth.
Then I saw William Shatner‘s reaction when he returned from his ten minute ride into the stratosphere, and I thought “Hmm. Wait a minute. Maybe sending these wealthy folks into space isn’t such a bad idea after all.”
I’ve heard a few people claiming Shatner was “acting” (as though he can); that it was all a sales pitch for Jeff Bezos‘ new tourism venture.
I’m not so sure.
There’s something that happens to humans when we get that far away from the planet. We’re able to see Earth from a much different perspective. There’s a shift in awareness. There’s even a name for it.
“The overview effect”.
That shift has been recognized since astronauts first began exploring outer space.
So now I’m finding myself wondering, if many of those wealthy enough to make that trip have that same shift in awareness, seeing the fragility of Earth and its inhabitants, might they start paying their fair share in taxes? Might they participate in undoing the inequities on the planet? Because nature provides more than enough for everyone here. It’s just not being distributed equally.
Don’t believe me? The next time you cut open an apple or a cucumber, how many seeds has nature provided in that fruit to feed us?
Here’s an article with video on “The Overview Effect”.
Here’s Prince William’s advice to our traveling billionaires: