Looking From Above
I believe astronauts should rule the world. All of those who have been beyond our planet’s atmosphere and seen Earth from above have been struck by our globe’s beauty and fragility, and reflected on our unreasonable and preposterous behavior. Frank Borman, one of the first three human beings to orbit the moon, said,
”When you’re finally up at the moon looking back on earth, all those differences and nationalistic traits are pretty well going to blend, and you’re going to get a concept that maybe this really is one world and why the hell can’t we live together like decent people?”
When asked about what he remembered from that 1968 Apollo 8 flight, Jim Lovell had this to say:
“We had pictures before of the far side of the moon, so we knew what to expect. What we didn’t expect was to see the Earth as it really is. I put my thumb up to the window and could hide the Earth. Suddenly, I realized that I am 240,000 miles away, but behind my finger is a planet with about 4 billion people. That told me in a moment just exactly what we are in the universe.”
He also added,
“There’s an old saying, ‘I hope to go to heaven when I die.’ Suddenly, it dawned on me that we went to heaven when we were born! We arrived on a planet that had the right amount of mass to have the gravity to contain water and an atmosphere, just at the proper distance from a star. It appeared to me that God had given mankind sort of a stage to perform on. I guess how that play will turn out is up to us.”
On December 24, 1968, in what was the most watched television broadcast at the time, the crew of Apollo 8 read from the Book of Genesis as they orbited the Moon. Bill Anders began by saying, “We are now approaching lunar sunrise, and for all the people back on Earth, the crew of Apollo 8 has a message that we would like to send to you.” After reading four verses, he was followed by Jim Lovell, who also read four verses. Finally Frank Borman read the final two verses, concluding the transmission saying, “And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas—and God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth.” I feel that the final words pronounced by Frank Borman in that message expressed the feeling of inclusiveness in a very vivid way: “God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth.”
Here’s an idea: Every elected official, or better, every person running for public office in the world, as a requirement, should spend time in outer space looking at our planet from above. I say this because I have sadness in my heart. Seeing all the division, all the separation, all the exclusion, all the devastation, and all the suffering that we, humans, have created here on Earth is very painful for me. The ignorance and insanity that I observe around me is discouraging. And although I do my best to keep my hopes high, and control my emotions, sometimes I can feel rage in me.
It is so difficult for me to understand how people can be so mean. Some politicians, their supporters, and their mouthpieces in the media are simply heartless and despicable. Their incapacity to empathize, their selfishness, and their short term what’s in it for me? self-serving attitude enrages me. And then, trying to tame my anger and understand what’s behind this kind of behavior, I ask myself, “Why are they like this?” And I come to the conclusion that they are the way they are because they have not received enough love. So I pause again and ask myself, “And what is the right thing for me to do?” And then I do my best to expand my heart and include them in my circle of love.
I believe that when all of us come to feel that we are not alone, and that we are loved, we will change our hearts, come to our senses, live together as friends who deeply care for one another, and bring Heaven to Earth. I also know that with all the pessimism and hopelessness that pollutes the world, the right thing for me to do is to spread messages that expand hope and optimism.
So here’s my appeal for sanity:
“We are all crew members and passengers of spaceship Earth, and we need to work together to preserve this vehicle that is taking us through the cosmos. We have to look at the big picture, and realize that we are all interconnected and interdependent. We have to realize, at the deepest possible level, that we are all in this together. We must stop all this ridiculous division and pointless fighting, and cooperate unreservedly with each other, because we will either succeed and live, or fail and die, all of us together. Let’s change the focus, stop worrying solely about ourselves, and start thinking about what we can do for others. Rather than asking, ‘What’s in it for me?’ let’s ask, ‘How can I serve?’ We are all responsible for preserving Planet Earth and building a sustainable future for all life forms. Let’s work together for the greater good, and working together for common goals is completely possible. We just need to let go of fear of not having enough for our survival and the selfishness that leads to unnecessary accumulation, and have the resolve to make things better for all. So, let’s stop all the nonsense and the pettiness! Heaven, the place we strive to be, is here, if we want it to be.”
Piero Falci teaches Mindfulness Meditation and Mindful Living and the acclaimed Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. He leads Insight Meditation Silent Retreats and organizes Silent Peace Walks. Piero is an educator who believes that the inner work that leads to personal awakening and transformation is indispensable to create a wholesome world. He is a promoter of peace who believes in advancing the idea that Heaven is here if we want it to be. "A Better Life in a Better World: Can Mindfulness Save Us from Ourselves?" is his latest book. For more information, visit his website www.pierofalci.com