We cannot solve any single problem faced by humanity any faster by focusing on it to the exclusion of all other pursuits. Indeed, the solutions to some problems are often found accidentally, while working on something apparently unrelated. Such serendipitous discoveries cannot be forced; they can only be encouraged by working on as many diverse efforts as we can reasonably sustain.
How many of our problems could be solved simply by being more unified and cooperative as a species? Space exploration, by virtue of its great difficulty and its ability to refocus our perspective on something much larger than ourselves, drives us to become better as a species, and attacks in a single stroke all those problems caused mainly by our everyday selfishness and cruelty to one another.
Here is a photo that fits every human alive, except the three behind the lens, into 3% of the field of view. I hope it readjusts your perspective as it has readjusted mine.
We cannot solve any single problem faced by humanity any faster by focusing on it to the exclusion of all other pursuits. Indeed, the solutions to some problems are often found accidentally, while working on something apparently unrelated. Such serendipitous discoveries cannot be forced; they can only be encouraged by working on as many diverse efforts as we can reasonably sustain.
How many of our problems could be solved simply by being more unified and cooperative as a species? Space exploration, by virtue of its great difficulty and its ability to refocus our perspective on something much larger than ourselves, drives us to become better as a species, and attacks in a single stroke all those problems caused mainly by our everyday selfishness and cruelty to one another.
Here is a photo that fits every human alive, except the three behind the lens, into 3% of the field of view. I hope it readjusts your perspective as it has readjusted mine.