It takes a lot of hard experiences in life to develop a philosophical mindset. Many achievers who have achieved greatness in a field through difficult life experiences have realized the importance of their time on this earth. Astronaut Ronald Curran had an eye-opening experience while in space. Participating in three different space missions between 2008 and 2011, Step NASA, Karan spent more than 178 days in space. In an interview he reflected on what his time in space had taught him Great thinkingKaran talked about how people on Earth were „living a lie.”
Karan was one of the lucky ones who got to experience the beautiful view of our beautiful planet from the International Space Station. „When we look at our planet from the perspective of space, some things become undeniably clear. We try to treat problems like global warming, deforestation and biodiversity loss as isolated problems, when in fact they are only symptoms. The fundamental problem is that we don’t see ourselves as a planet,” he said. Karan admired incredible natural phenomena like lightning and auroras from space. In those moments, Karan realized that the „paper-thin” atmosphere protects countless species on our planet. „I found myself living in a different biosphere. I didn’t see economics,” he added.
It was then that it dawned on Karan that what we prioritize and value in life pales in comparison to the fact that we are planets. „It is clear from the vantage point of space that we are living a lie because we treat our human-made systems, including our planet’s life-support systems, as wholly owned subsidiaries of the global economy.” The astronaut explained. Karan pointed out that humans need to rank our priorities „economy, society, planet,” „planet, society, economy.” He emphasized that it was necessary for humans to evolve better.
Karan later spoke about how this perspective is a common factor among many astronauts. It’s called the „supervision effect,” which makes astronauts returning from space feel like they’ve gone through a transition. „The overarching effect describes the change that occurs when astronauts see a planet hanging in the blackness of space. This light bulb pops up where they realize how interconnected and interdependent we all are,” explained the astronaut. Karan emphasized that people need to realize the „fundamental truth of the interrelated structure of all reality”. According to Karan, people need to realize that all of us on Earth are „inextricably linked” to each other as sentient beings on this planet.
So instead of prioritizing the economy, Astronaut insists that people embrace their reality as fellow creatures on Earth while trying to protect this incredible planet that sustains us. „One thing I realized during my time in space is that we are not from Earth, we belong to Earth. And taking it a step further is that we are not in the universe, we are the universe,” Karan pointed out. „I am very optimistic because I clearly see a blossoming awareness of our interdependent nature. That awareness will eventually reach a critical mass, and when it reaches critical mass, we will be able to solve the problems facing our planet.”