Happy Tuesday!
Welcome to Volume 3 of the Truth Tuesday’s Newsletter, your weekly email where I bring you thought-provoking insights from my conversations with the world’s most brilliant minds on the Through Conversations Podcast.
Prepare to delve into captivating discussions that challenge your perspective and expand your understanding of the world.
The month of June will be packed with uncovering the mysteries of the universe. Last week, I had the pleasure of engaging in a captivating conversation with Daniel Sax, CEO of The Canadian Mining Space Corporation. Yesterday, I had the privilege of interviewing Samantha Radoccia, a world-renowned futurist focused on disruptive technologies — and how to thrive in an uncertain future (episode coming soon).
This month, I have been reflecting on our desire to explore space and push the boundaries of what is possible, both in terms of becoming an interplanetary species and technological innovation.
One question lingers in my mind: Why are we so eager to go to space, explore new planets — and perhaps “colonize” Mars — when here on Earth, we face numerous challenges?
On my YouTube page, I conducted a poll asking you what our greatest challenge is. Almost 500 of you answered, and here are the results so far:
- Climate Change: 41%
- Political/Social Division: 31%
- Economy/Inflation: 18%
- Healthcare: 5%
- Crime/Violence: 5%
These poll results made me think about what Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson (stay tuned for a huge announcement regarding Dr. Tyson) said about space exploration:
“…The first Earth Day was created in 1970, while we were going to the Moon. And when we arrived, we looked back over our shoulders and discovered Earth for the first time.”
In other words, we landed on the Moon only to discover Earth for the first time. Such a profound insight.
In his book, Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization, Dr. Tyson describes how the 1969 Apollo 11 missions changed our perspective on Earth and, in turn, our treatment towards it:
- Apollo 11 (First to walk on the Moon) was in 1969
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was formed in 1970
- First National Earth Day was established in 1970
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was formed in 1970
- Clean Water Act made law in 1972
Going to space paradoxically allowed us to see the treasure we already hold here on Earth — and it led us to create policies to preserve it.
So, while the immediate conclusion about going to space might not be that it will make us fall in love with our home, planet Earth, exploring the boundaries of the cosmos might do just that.
Here’s a quote to ponder before you leave:
“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.’”
— Edgar D. Mitchell, Apollo 14 astronaut
Stay curious and keep looking up,
Alex
Through Conversations Podcast Host
PS — Get ready for a massive episode of the show by the end of June that will cover these topics in more depth!
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