December 7, 1972 everything about living on planet Earth changed. On that day 48 years ago, astronauts aboard Apollo 17 took an image that has become one of the most reproduced images in human history. Known as The Blue Marble this image, for the first time in human history reminded us of two things. The first is how remarkable our little rock is when compared to the hundreds of images we had collected over the years of other planets. As my friend Ashtar tells us often; “We live on a planet unique in all of space.” The second thing this image showed us, and even more importantly in my mind, is that we, all of us, have more in common than we have in differences.
We are family
This incredible image of Earth has been around less than two generations, but at what point do we take its message to heart? When will we take the next step and begin realizing we are all together on a tiny speck in the darkness of space? All 7.7 billion of us share the same home. Almost 400,000 new births occur each day. Only about a third of that number leave the planet. Each of us relies upon the same atmosphere. Each of us must share in its bounty. When one country poisons it’s air, we all get to share that pollution. When we abuse the seas, we all suffer. Yes, we are one huge and growing family.
The time has come
The time has come for our attention to shift from nationalistic interests to realizing we are all in the same boat. We are dependent upon each other for our own wellbeing. The days of “I got mine, too bad for you” are over, and they have been since the evidence came in 48 years ago. December 7, 1972 was the day everything changed.
