Astronauts Describe Earth

What struck me most was the silence.  It was a great silence, unlike any I had encountered, so vast and deep that I began to hear my own body: my heart beating, my blood pulsing, even the rustle of my muscles moving.

There were more stars in the sky than I had expected.  The sky was deep black, yet at the same time bright with sunlight. The Earth was small, light blue, and so touchingly alone.

The Earth was absolutely round. I believe I never knew what the word round meant until I saw the earth from space. It reminded me of a Christmas tree ornament hanging in the blackness.

As we got further and further away it diminished in size. Finally it shrank to the size of a marble, the most beautiful marble you can imagine.

That beautiful, warm, living marble looked so fragile, so delicate.

I thought of the millions and millions of people who have lived, live, and will live on Earth.

I thought about the purpose of our existence and how we should live in order to enjoy and to share our short lives as fully as possible.

 

As I looked down, I saw a large river meandering slowly along for miles, passing from one country to another. I saw huge forests and deserts crossing borders. I saw an ocean that touched the shores of separate continents.Two words came to mind: commonality and interdependence.

We are one world.

-From The Home Planet, by Kevin Kelley

Planetary Parable

Once upon a time, the young Earth felt restless. “Who am I?” She thought. “Why am I here?” “What is the purpose of my life?”

Earth thought to ask her companion, the moon. "Moon," she asked, "Can you tell me who I am?"

The Moon's gentle light fell upon the Earth, but there was no one who could see how beautiful it was. "Dear Friend," said the Moon, "I am younger than you. I do not know why we are here, spinning around this vast darkness of space."

So Earth thought to ask her other companion, the sun. "Sun," she asked, "Can you tell me who I am and what my purpose is?"

The Sun's warm golden rays fell upon the Earth, but there was no one who could see how beautiful it was. "Dear Friend," said the Sun, "Even though I am older than you. I do not know why we are here, spinning around this vast darkness of space."

So Earth thought to ask her brothers and sisters, the other planets. "Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto! Can you tell me who I am and what my purpose is!"

Her brothers and sisters called back to her, "We do not know why we are here, spinning around this vast darkness of space."

Earth’s sadness deepened.  She had asked everyone in the solar system and nobody knew her purpose. And then Earth had the most wondrous idea! Instead of looking for answers outside, she would look within.

She called out to the Oceans. "Oceans!" she cried, "Help me to know myself! What can you tell me about who I am and what my purpose is?"

The Oceans began teeming with life. For the first time, there were creatures who could see how beautiful Earth was. Crabs, snails, squid, and fish all peered through the ocean waters at the beauty of Earth. Each, in a different way, saw the Sun's light dancing through the waters and the gentle glow of the Moon.

"Earth! Do you see how beautiful you are?" Earth did see. And she marveled at herself. “Perhaps there is more to me.”

And as time passed the creatures evolved and began exploring the land. Earth saw herself through the eyes of many new animals: turtles and lizards, birds and mammels— so many pairs of eyes, so many things to look at, so much to admire.

"This could take a while," she thought. And in that moment, Earth came to know her purpose. "I know why I am here.  I am here to learn about myself. I am meant to discover all of my own beauty. This will take forever. I will never be finished!" 

And then Earth was quiet for a time, thinking about this awesome responsibility.  The other planets did not do this.  Nor the young moon.  Nor the old sun.  It was her special purpose to spend all of her days learning about herself. There was no need to hurry: there was all the time in the Universe.

From The Great Story, by Leslie Pilder