26/02/2026
The astronaut Ron Garan spent 178 days aboard the International Space Station and after returning to Earth he said that:
Humanity is living a lie.
Before returning to earth with a new sense of how the entire human race fits together as well as with new data and other items he had brought with him.
Although Garan has been to space many times and has seen the curvature of the earth during many of those trips, seeing it from an altitude of approximately 250 miles gave him a completely different impression than he had ever experienced before. It did not appear to be divided by political boundaries, national borders or any other kind of divisions. Instead, the earth appeared to be a brilliant blue sphere suspended within the vastness of space. There were no visible lines dividing the earth into separate regions; there were no boundaries to be found at all.
In fact, when viewed from such a high vantage point, many of the long-standing disagreements and disputes between nations seemed unimportant compared to the realization of how much we have in common with each other and with the rest of the world.
Garan saw some amazing displays of natural lightening storms sweeping across large areas of the land masses, displays of the northern and southern auroras (curtains of color) dancing near the magnetic poles and displays of cities at night as they lit up the dark side of the curved earth. However, the display that touched him most was not the power of the earth but the fragility of the earth. The thin layer of atmosphere which supports every form of life on earth resembled a faint blue veil hanging over the surface of the earth and looked so delicate and thin that it seemed to be almost impossible to see.
Many astronauts refer to the experience of having their consciousness expanded and changed forever by the sight of the earth from space as "the overview effect." The overview effect is a profound and permanent shift in one's perception and understanding of the earth and humanity. Garan realized that humans rely on a single and connected ecosystem in order to survive and thrive and that there is no back-up planet available if things go wrong on earth. There is no safety net; there is no emergency exit.
Based on the way he now views the earth and the challenges facing humanity, Garan believes that the order of priority for humanity should be: protect the planet first, build stronger societies second, and create economically viable systems third. Garan believes that without a healthy and sustainable planet, it will be impossible to achieve success in any of these three areas.
