No, how can we correct any of these behaviors if we do not know the truth? And isn’t it every human being’s right to know the truth?
The truth is that the astronauts do not “go into space,” since we are already in space. In fact, they leave the planet and view it from a new vantage point. Fewer than 600 people have had this direct experience, and most of them feel a compelling need to share it with the rest of us. Why? Because they think we might use this new knowledge to make the world a better place.
It won’t happen by accident, which is why a number of us have established a worldwide movement to “bring the Overview Effect down to Earth.” In my opinion, the only way to have the full experience of the Overview Effect is to have the same experience as the astronauts, which will require people to make use of the commercial spaceflights soon to be available through Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin, SpaceX, and others. However, virtual reality also offers an opportunity to simulate the experience and a number of people are working in that domain as well. (5)
At another level, we have the “Down to Earth” series being offered by NASA (6). While the astronauts themselves say that pictures and videos don’t fully convey what they saw and felt, these “reports from orbit” are a good start for surface dwellers.
It will take an enormous effort to make the worldview of the Overview Effect “the worldview of the world,” but we must begin where we are, undaunted by the odds, just as rights campaigners have done in the past. Success will benefit not only those who have the experience but our home planet as well.
A great teacher once said, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” Isn’t it time for humanity to set itself free? Isn’t it time to declare that experiencing the Overview Effect is a human right?
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