HAPPY EARTH DAY!

We fly away from the deepest portion of the canyon, above the winding tributaries that grow narrower, and I recall something I once read about astronauts. They often experience a phenomenon called the Overview Effect. It is the term used to describe the intense emotional and cognitive shifts they feel when they first see the Earth from space. When seeing our home against the blackness of outer space, the effect is so profound it can lead to a greater appreciation for Earth and its apparent fragility, and a deep connection to humanity. The effect is transformative, changing the observer’s self-concept and value system. It can also influence an astronaut’s environmental attitudes and behaviors, creating a new level of environmental awareness and consciousness – so much so that the Apollo missions have been credited for inspiring the environmental movement and the first Earth Day.

I imagine that the other human beings who perhaps come close to understanding this phenomenon are probably airline pilots, because you have to be high enough above the ground to capture how microscopic we are in the grand scheme of things. Even if you climb the tallest mountain peaks on the planet, you still cannot get high enough to acquire that same perspective. I remember once when I was flying from San Francisco to Orange County. It was a clear day, and as we approached our destination, the plane flew parallel to the shoreline and at a low enough altitude to make it easy for me to identify landmarks from my window seat. I spotted what must have been the Long Beach Harbor. I saw a neighborhood created with artificial canals; even from that distance, I could tell how large the houses must have been. No doubt, it was an affluent area. A long seawall separated the small community from the vast Pacific Ocean. The entire area looked so vulnerable, and I could see clearly how defenseless we were against the enormity of the ocean. How could we possibly hold back the sea? What a foolish species we are to believe that we can compete with the ferocity of Mother Nature. Our hubris will undoubtedly lead to our demise if we don’t figure out a way to work with her instead of against her.

The other realization I had while witnessing our smallness from that airplane was how petty and insignificant all our worldly problems felt from that altitude. We are mere ants in the great cosmos. How could one human ever think of themselves with any level of grandiosity? How delusional we are. But this perception is so ephemeral – like holding water in your hands. You can grasp it momentarily, and then it slips through your fingers. As we flew closer and closer to the John Wayne Airport, I still felt removed from all the human angst. Then, very quickly, we descended, and immediately I was back in it. All the water had slipped through my fingers, and once again, I was inside the world with all its wars, catastrophes, and complicated human relationships.

~ JOURNEYS by Patty Flores Reinhart