I had thought that going into space would be the ultimate catharsis of that connection I had been looking for between all living things—that being up there would be the next beautiful step to understa

I had thought that going into space would be the ultimate catharsis of that
connection I had been looking for between all living things—that being up
there would be the next beautiful step to understanding the harmony of the
universe. In the film “Contact,” when Jodie Foster’s character goes to space
and looks out into the heavens, she lets out an astonished whisper, “They
should’ve sent a poet.” I had a different experience, because I discovered
that the beauty isn’t out there, it’s down here, with all of Leaving that
behind made my connection to our tiny planet even more profound.
It was among the strongest feelings of grief 1 have ever encountered. The
contrast between the vicious coldness of space and the warm nurturing of
Earth below filled me with overwhelming sadness. Every day, we are
confronted with the knowledge of further destruction of Earth at our hands:
the extinction of animal species, of flora and fauna... things that took five
billion years to evolve, and suddenly we will never see them again because
of the interference of mankind. It filled me with dread. My trip to space was
supposed to be a celebration; instead, it felt like a funeral.
william shatner