We are but a dot in the vastness that is our world …. We … Our Planet … Our Lives. Carl Sagan writes:
“Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every “superstar,” every “supreme leader,” every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there-on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot.
Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.
The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.
It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known.” – Carl Sagan
Guest Contributor to MiamiRealEstateCafe.com … Michael Restivo … Mike Off The Map writes:
On December 24, 1968, the crew of Apollo 8, the first men to orbit the moon, took an iconic of our fragile planet. It was the culmination of a difficult year, assassinations, war, unrest, and destruction had belittled our world. Yet when you truly look at this photo, all our imaginary borders, our preconceived notions, our prejudices, our beliefs, and our differences disappear. We are but men, unified in our common biological lineage, we all have aspirations, hopes, dreams, joys, and pains.
Why do I write this? I am nothing but a man who writes about the world, this beautiful land that we all share together. I do not wield the power to make change, but it does not mean I am powerless. I write this because as we celebrate this holiday of joy, love, and family, we are still not a world unified. Our country is divided by animosity, prejudice, and dare I say hate. Differences that were once revered and celebrated are now feared and under attack. We are a planet at war, not between nations, not between beliefs, but between man. Over the past year I have watched “tolerance” become such an obscure word, as people are conditioned to believe that love and hope is reserved for a select few.
But for my generation this is not the case. We can be the generation that restores a sense of humanity in this world. There will always be conflict, it is a trait among human beings. But how we treat each other, and how we look at those different from us will influence the moment that we turn the tide. I hope, that our generation will be the one that uses the minds of those who make weapons of war, and turns them into weapons against disease. I hope that it’ll be our generation who bridges the gaps across culture, and learn from each other instead of fearing each other. I hope it’ll be our generation, that creates a gentler discourse between each other, and finds commons in our differences.
Tonight there are those of us are putting that finishing touch on our Christmas tree, lighting a Menorah, or turning and kneeling to Mecca. But there is one thing we are all doing. We are dreaming. We are looking towards a common future where we stand as a single world. My message and my hope to you on this holiday, is that you are at home, that you have found love within your family and friends, and that you are safe.
A very happy holiday to you and your family, and happy travels,
Michael
