Looking back at Earth

As I spent this past week monitoring the Artemis II mission closely I can’t help but look at the photos of earth and think, what could have been?

Earth is a spec of dust in the universe. And yet, we fight over petty differences. We argue over who has crossed what imaginary border. We kill each other over whose version of god is better. We concern ourselves with the genitalia of others and what women do with their own bodies. All while the wealth gap increases and the rich turn into oligarchs who weaponize that money to control media which exacerbates all of the problems above.

Something like Artemis simply cannot happen without collaborating across the world under one banner of science. Setting aside differences and focusing on the mission at hand - to send humans further than they have ever gone before and return them back home safely.

Imagine for a moment that our civilization focused all our efforts towards the common good. Scientific and medical research were funded in the same way we fund the creation of weapons of mass destruction. It’s not far off to imagine we’d have established a base on the moon, and reached even further into the stars. Or that cancer had been cured, and every human on earth had access to free health care.

It has been so inspiring to watch the Artemis II crew as they left earth and circled the moon. The images they have sent back have been humbling.

In order to continue to advance our species we need to take care of ourselves here on earth. We need to bring in leaders who will focus on improving the livelihood of every person - and create a fairer system which balances wealth with the greater good. We must demand that tax dollars be invested in programs that advance our society and not destroy it. We must enact safeguards that prevent the worst of us from obtaining and consolidating power.

Most of all, we must work to bring all of us into shared reality and set aside our differences. This is how we truly advance society to the next level and use science to improve everyone’s lives equally. If we do not do these things, we are doomed to repeat the same cycle over and over again.