by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Billions of dollars are wasted – yes, wasted – on flights to Mars, to Pluto, and to other areas of this galaxy (and beyond, if it would be just possible) while the same resources would be much better employed to deal with the problems on this Planet, our Earth, the only Earth that we will ever have, and on which we depend for our survival. This survival, however, is only possible through clean air, clean water and healthy soil.
Oh, the space industry says, but it creates jobs here on Earth. Yes, and many more jobs would be created if this ingenuity and other skills be employed to actually heal this Planet and all life on it. Instead money – well, money is not really a problem as they create it out of thin air anyway – resources and human endeavor are squandered – yes, squandered – on trying to “explore” the universe. For what and whose benefit? Definitely not for the benefit of the Earth and its inhabitants.
Satellites and such are one thing which do have a benefit but going beyond this is really not very clever at all. And yes, the space industry has given us some new materials in the process of overcoming certain hurdles but in general it is doing more harm than good and instead of looking to the stars in an attempt to go there it would be much better if looked at the earth beneath our feet, at the water in the rivers, lakes and oceans, the forests and other areas, and find ways of how man can live in harmony with Nature.
We have, at least so they claim, gone to the Moon a number of time, with unmanned and manned space vehicles and, so it is being claimed, man actually set foot on the surface of the Moon a couple of times. So? What does it benefit mankind?
At the same time we have destroyed, and are destroying, and have raped and are raping the Earth for minerals and other materials needed for such space explorations, and not just for that.
We are looking to the stars but cannot see – or refuse to – see Nature around us and we do not see that our future is not in the stars. No, Professor Hawkins, there is no other Planet that can support human life and thus we must ensure that the Earth, our home, remains a home fit for all its inhabitants.
The Earth is our home, where is where things are happening and where things need fixing if we want to have a chance to live and thrive. The planets just happen to be there and it does not benefit us one iota to go clambering about on them. We can't go and settle on them when we have destroyed the Earth, and we are doing the very best to do just that. They are uninhabitable and cannot sustain life.
Therefore, instead of wasting our efforts at exploring space and the other planets we should spend this time, energy and money on keeping this Planet healthy so that we, and those that come after us, can live here.
© 2017
