We are exploreres

People have been on the move, exploring and migrating, for time out of mind. Whether one thinks in terms of the colonization of islands in the Pacific Ocean (the crew had to bring their own water and food with them, you can’t drink salt water) or of the Bering Strait, or of any other migrations and/or explorations you care to mention, humans have been at it for time out of mind. The last time folk committed themselves to a project of exploration that involved a great journey was on 25 May 1961, when, before a Joint Session of Congress, President Kennedy dared us to land a man on the moon before the end of the decade. We did it. And what is more, we kept on sending men to the moon. But the last crew to go to the moon left over forty years ago (1972).

The moon is not the only heavenly body people have visited. Since then we have sent robotic missions to Mars. There is only so much these missions can accomplish. Robots and rovers are quite good at doing what they are told to do and they do not cost anywhere near as much as sending Homo sapiens to Mars. They don’t need water, or breathable air. Geez, robotic missions don’t even need a specific atmosphere. About all they seem to need is enough sunlight to generate power and enough gravity so they can actually stay on the planet’s surface. One downside to sending rovers and any other type of robotic mission to Mars is this: Folk are not as inspired by our mechanical companions as we are by other people. Certainly, landing a rover on Mars is a great challenge. To date only one nation has succeeded. Landing people on Mars will prove even more difficult.

Nonetheless, sending folk to Mars will reap unimaginable benefits. Here’s the deal. When people travel through space we actually pay attention. It’s a big deal! We start to care more deeply about the delicate balancing act required to survive on Earth. Pictures taken from the moon of this fragile island home woke up countless people to the reality that if we continually mistreated Earth, if we constantly took Earth for granted, if we polluted the atmosphere nonstop, along with all the bodies of water, and the land, we would find ourselves in a very difficult place. Sadly that realization is proving out. The debate's over. Among those who study Earth the most, and who are the most knowledgeable about how Earth works–there is no question: Climate change exists.

Climate change has occurred in the past. This time there is a difference. It is now being caused not by recurring predictable environmental phenomenon, instead it is driven by our lifestyle and our values, namely avarice. In today's world, the number one cause of climate change is a major byproduct of industry: Pollution. But what does climate change have to do with colonizing Mars? It is one more sign that without people coming together to solve ecological problems and glaring economic inequities, along with working on the status imbalance between Caucasians and Asians and everyone else in the world, we are doomed. The current terrorist threats facing people today are as much symptoms of our own unconscious ways of relating to people of color or of 'different' religions as though we white folk are masters and all others, save for Asian peoples, are servants. The way out is a common goal. An inspiring and awe filled project. Aiming for the stars, beginning by colonizing Mars, allows everyone to dream. Prejudices are nonexistent in space, we can be grateful for that, and as long as we rein in our greed and employ wisdom we can create a culture based on exploration for the sake of inquiry; for all humans are blessed with curiosity; inquisitiveness can advance scientific knowledge used for the improvement of life on Earth and in space. We can learn a great deal about being human, from medicine to new ways of relating to one another. Space travel takes a long time. Even traveling to Mars is a seven month journey that will be made in a star ship the size of a tour bus. As you can imagine, privacy will be at a minimum. There is so much to be discovered and many possibilities to recreate how we see ourselves and our species--that is the greatest chance. To rediscover who we are and who we have always been meant to be in terms of our relationships to Earth, to one another, to the Cosmos, and to our Creator.