What if This Were Our Sole Purpose?
What if the sole purpose of our rise from the apes and of all of our history, knowledge, and technology were to get us far enough away from earth to realize we are responsible for the stewardship of this planet?
Would it make a difference to the way we conduct our relationships with one another?
This picture of the Earth and Moon in a single frame, the first of its kind ever taken by a spacecraft, was recorded September 18, 1977, by NASAs Voyager 1 when it was 11.66 million km (7.25 million miles) from Earth.
The moon is at the top of the picture and beyond the Earth as viewed by Voyager. - In the picture are eastern Asia, the western Pacific Ocean and part of the Arctic. Voyager 1 was directly above Mt. Everest (on the night side of the planet at 25 degrees north latitude) when the picture was taken. - The photo was made from three images taken through color filters, then processed by the Image Processing Lab at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Because the Earth is many times brighter than the Moon, the Moon was artificially brightened by a factor of three relative to the Earth by computer enhancement so that both bodies would show clearly in the prints. - Voyager 1 was launched September 5, 1977 and Voyager 2 on August 20, 1977. JPL is responsible for the Voyager mission.
Comments (5)
Read through and enter the discussion by using the form at the endGovernment Conspiracy - August 14, 2008 9:01 PM
This is obviously a fake picture disseminated by our government. If it were real, you would be able to see the stars. Therefore, just like the moon landings, the Voyager missions never took place which means this is a fake picture.
Travis - August 14, 2008 10:34 PM
The reason you can't see the stars is due to the brightness of the earth/moon. If the shutter of the camera was left open longer, it would have captured the stars (but whited out the closer bodies).
Same reason you can take quick shutter shots at night and not see stars. The camera doesn't allow light in long enough to end up on the final picture.
And no, neither missions were faked. All of the "evidence" of faked missions are easily explained with actual science. If our gov't is smart enough to 'fake' a moon landing, don't you think they would have included stars (even though they shouldn't appear in the picture?).
Keith - January 4, 2009 12:10 PM
Victoria,
Unfortunately, for many people your point is all too accurate. The inability to fully conceptualize processes and systems larger then the self and it's immediate surroundings are a matter of evolution and most people can not rise above it. Over the last few thousand years we have discovered the means to conceptualize outside of evolution's blinders to get a grasp of the really big or really small by ways of instruments. The function of this conceptualization is to induce a consciousness rising experience which allows for greater understanding of the interdependency of all things.
I personally would lean away from titling this experience as the "Purpose" as it assumes the ulterior motives by an implicit power are the only correct operation for a given action while we know that many actions can have a plenitude of beneficial functions.
Lee - college student - January 8, 2009 8:23 PM
hey government conspiracy, im glad that you did your homework. It MUST be a conspiracy because...oh wait, the post after yours explains it? Nevermind, you are just another idiot. Carry on!
Steve Grant - July 28, 2010 2:54 PM
I, too, shy away from the term "purpose." However, you make an excellent point. It occurs to me that perhaps the "direction" (if not "purpose") of human evolution is toward larger-scale perspectives and understanding. This and the other photos of the earth--the entire globe, taken from space--are not only stunningly beautiful but can provide a visceral, immediate insight into our position in the universe: we ALL--inescapably together--live on a ball of rock (with thin coating of air and water) floating in a vacuum with nothing but sunlight coming in and no "away" to throw anything.
It's becoming increasingly clear to some of us (I hope) that our survival--as a large and viable culture (as opposed to a few small bands of individuals barely getting by) and perhaps as a species--depends on our learning to live and work together well... certainly better than we are doing now. It's clear that our current way of living on the planet is not sustainable, and it seems to me our current social and political structures are not, either. From the "every man [and woman] for him[her]self", law-of-the-jungle mentality we must move to the Golden Rule and a new understanding that we're all in this together. In a real sense, what affects you also effects me, one way or the other, immediately or eventually. Generosity, empathy, compassion, and self-sacrifice for the good of the whole/others will win the day. Selfishness will ultimately ruin us all.
We have choice--individually and collectively. I don't believe there's a universal law which requires the indefinite continuance of the human species any more than there is one which requires the continuance of U.S. military global supremacy or large numbers of Earthians being able to drive individual vehicles, enjoy air conditioning or comfortably-heated homes, or even have plenty to eat. In a sense, human beings are an ongoing experiment: Can we get it together enough and in time to avoid our own demise?