The last few days, we witnessed the extreme opposites in messages to people everywhere. The encouraging and inspiring one came from space; the terrifying one originated from the leader of the free world.
On Artemis II’s mission around the moon, we heard from pilot Victor Glover. As we settled in for Easter and Passover, Glover addressed the rest of us living in an anxious and often divisive world.
“You’re on a spaceship called Earth that was created to give us a place to live in the universe, in the cosmos… you are special in all this emptiness. This is a whole bunch of nothing, this thing we call the universe (but) you have this oasis, this beautiful place that we get to exist together.”
He went on to say whether you believe in God or not, “this is an opportunity for us to remember where we are, who we are, and that we are the same thing and that we got to get through this together.”
It was a message of unity and hope, a call for people to focus on their commonalities instead of their differences. But then just a short time later, President Trump delivered a chilling apocalyptic message aimed at Iran as his deadline for opening the Strait of Hormuz approached: “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.”
Just hours before the deadline, Iran and the US reached a ceasefire. But was he serious? Even if it was an idle threat, just suggesting the prospect of annihilating a civilization is horrifying when it comes from someone with the power to launch nuclear weapons.
On the ground, humanity was at risk. In space, we were called upon to embrace our higher selves.
The historic Artemis II mission comes at a much-needed time for our country. Our tribal politics have split the nation. The words and actions by President Trump only divide us more, triggering obsequious support on one side and angst-ridden contempt on the other.
And now our country is engaged in a controversial war with Iran. It may lead to the elimination of a brutal theocracy that threatens stability in the Middle East, but it could also explode into an even more expansive war and further hinder passage through the vital Strait of Hormuz. The truce gives us hope, but the future is uncertain.
Meanwhile, daily struggles can easily obscure our purpose on this planet and our shared humanity, whether it be with a neighbor across the street or a stranger on the other side of the world. Martin Luther King, Jr. said that true humanity is defined by service, love, and moral progress over material gain.
He said, “An individual has not started living until he can rise above his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” King also said, “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
Here on earth, the physical world seems enormous, beyond comprehension. However, the view from space shared by the Artemis II astronauts lets us see the earth as it is, a tiny blue dot in a vast universe. It is a place that, if you are a person of faith, was created for us. If agnostic, then we are a cosmic accident.
Either way, we are all here, each on our own personal journey for meaning. NASA says explorations are “anchored in providing value for humanity by answering some of the most fundamental questions: Why are we here? How did it all begin? Are we alone? What comes next? And, as an addendum to that: How can we make our lives better?”
The Artemis II mission to space will provide NASA with critical data that will be used for future missions. It is a big win for science. However, it also provides us with an opportunity to contemplate the significance of coexisting on Earth. Do we follow Trump as he spreads discord or will we choose to reach for Glover’s higher aim?