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> That's why I think to be ultimately successful there has to be a grassroots, widespread, decentralized change in consciousness among the masses, and we are ve

> That's why I think to be ultimately successful there has to be a grassroots, widespread, decentralized change in consciousness among the masses, and we are very far from that. As the world stands it is mostly run by people with the most resources, aka money and/or power. I think this has always been the case throughout history and I don't think we have time to entirely change that right now.[a] Also, in this case maybe this is a good thing. Rich people have the majority of the power and influence, and they are the ones that will be the first to experience the Overview Effect[0] as orbital space tourists. > The overview effect is a cognitive shift in awareness reported by some astronauts during spaceflight, often while viewing the Earth from outer space. > It is the experience of seeing firsthand the reality of the Earth in space, which is immediately understood to be a tiny, fragile ball of life, "hanging in the void", shielded and nourished by a paper-thin atmosphere. From space, national boundaries vanish, the conflicts that divide people become less important, and the need to create a planetary society with the united will to protect this "pale blue dot" becomes both obvious and imperative. This is exactly what we need. At least it is a glimmer of hope and a great self-selected alignment of people who need a cognitive shift, and those who can afford it. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overview_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overview_effect edit: [a] To be clear, I do not mean to discount the population and the power of grassroots movements at all, it is also necessary for the non-violent utopia which is required to avoid a "Great Filter"[1] event. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Filter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Filter

pmoriarty 7y ago
Did the overview effect turn any astronauts in to pacifists?
- consumer451 7y ago
  > Did the overview effect turn any astronauts in to pacifists? Well, I can't speak to that specifically. I am not aware of any astronauts who declared themselves as pacifists. However, it sure seems like a catalyst towards unity and pacifism when reading the quotes. The fact that so many of the experiences are attributed to ex-military astronauts is also significant to me. I would expect independent civilians to be even more open-minded and verbose about their overview experiences. Some interesting quotes on the subject: > Edgar Mitchell, Apollo 14 astronaut: “You develop an instant global consciousness, a people orientation, an intense dissatisfaction with the state of the world, and a compulsion to do something about it. From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles out and say, ‘Look at that, you son of a bitch.’” [0] > Neil Armstrong, astronaut & moonwalker: “It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn’t feel like a giant. I felt very, very small.” [0] > Edward Gibson, astronaut & Skylab 4 pilot: “You see how diminutive your life and concerns are compared to other things In the universe … The result is that you enjoy the life that is before you … It allows you to have inner peace.” [0] > Anousheh Ansari, space tourist: “The actual experience exceeds all expectations and is something that’s hard to put to words … It sort of reduces things to a size that you think everything is manageable … All these things that may seem big and impossible … We can do this. Peace on Earth — No problem. It gives people that type of energy … that type of power, and I have experienced that.” [0] > Shuttle/ISS astronaut Ron Garan: “When we look down at the earth from space, we see this amazing, indescribably beautiful planet. It looks like a living, breathing organism. But it also, at the same time, looks extremely fragile … Anybody else who’s ever gone to space says the same thing because it really is striking and it’s really sobering to see this paper-thin layer and to realize that that little paper-thin layer is all that protects every living thing on Earth from death, basically. From the harshness of space.” [0] > “From space I saw Earth—indescribably beautiful with the scars of national boundaries gone.” ~Muhammad Ahmad Faris, Syrian Astronaut (cited in Hassard & Weisberg, 1999, p. 1) [1] > “If somebody’d said before the flight, 'Are you going to get carried away looking at the earth from the moon?' I would have say [sic], ‘No, no way.’ But yet when I first looked back at the Earth, standing on the moon, I cried.” ~Alan Shepard, NASA Astronaut (cited in Nardo, 2014, p. 46) [1] [0] https://www.phactual.com/14-awe-filled-quotes-about-the-overview-effect-from-outer-space/ https://www.phactual.com/14-awe-filled-quotes-about-the-over... [1] https://www.psychologyinaction.org/psychology-in-action-1/2017/01/01/the-overview-effect https://www.psychologyinaction.org/psychology-in-action-1/20...

pmoriarty 7y ago

Did the overview effect turn any astronauts in to pacifists?

consumer451 7y ago
> Did the overview effect turn any astronauts in to pacifists? Well, I can't speak to that specifically. I am not aware of any astronauts who declared themselves as pacifists. However, it sure seems like a catalyst towards unity and pacifism when reading the quotes. The fact that so many of the experiences are attributed to ex-military astronauts is also significant to me. I would expect independent civilians to be even more open-minded and verbose about their overview experiences. Some interesting quotes on the subject: > Edgar Mitchell, Apollo 14 astronaut: “You develop an instant global consciousness, a people orientation, an intense dissatisfaction with the state of the world, and a compulsion to do something about it. From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles out and say, ‘Look at that, you son of a bitch.’” [0] > Neil Armstrong, astronaut & moonwalker: “It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn’t feel like a giant. I felt very, very small.” [0] > Edward Gibson, astronaut & Skylab 4 pilot: “You see how diminutive your life and concerns are compared to other things In the universe … The result is that you enjoy the life that is before you … It allows you to have inner peace.” [0] > Anousheh Ansari, space tourist: “The actual experience exceeds all expectations and is something that’s hard to put to words … It sort of reduces things to a size that you think everything is manageable … All these things that may seem big and impossible … We can do this. Peace on Earth — No problem. It gives people that type of energy … that type of power, and I have experienced that.” [0] > Shuttle/ISS astronaut Ron Garan: “When we look down at the earth from space, we see this amazing, indescribably beautiful planet. It looks like a living, breathing organism. But it also, at the same time, looks extremely fragile … Anybody else who’s ever gone to space says the same thing because it really is striking and it’s really sobering to see this paper-thin layer and to realize that that little paper-thin layer is all that protects every living thing on Earth from death, basically. From the harshness of space.” [0] > “From space I saw Earth—indescribably beautiful with the scars of national boundaries gone.” ~Muhammad Ahmad Faris, Syrian Astronaut (cited in Hassard & Weisberg, 1999, p. 1) [1] > “If somebody’d said before the flight, 'Are you going to get carried away looking at the earth from the moon?' I would have say [sic], ‘No, no way.’ But yet when I first looked back at the Earth, standing on the moon, I cried.” ~Alan Shepard, NASA Astronaut (cited in Nardo, 2014, p. 46) [1] [0] https://www.phactual.com/14-awe-filled-quotes-about-the-overview-effect-from-outer-space/ https://www.phactual.com/14-awe-filled-quotes-about-the-over... [1] https://www.psychologyinaction.org/psychology-in-action-1/2017/01/01/the-overview-effect https://www.psychologyinaction.org/psychology-in-action-1/20...