When astronauts head into space and look at the Earth for the first time, they experience what is known as the Overview Effect.
It’s the first time they get to see the planet for what it really is and they become so overwhelmed with the beauty of the sight, they can’t help think of how we are truly interconnected: planet, species and all. To see the images and video for yourself instills a sense of awe and wonder, forcing you to set aside the imaginary lines that divide us.
Perhaps the most inspiring reflection on this moment comes from the astrophysicist Carl Sagan, which is aptly named the Pale Blue Dot.
The Overview effect is a call to rethink how we see ourselves and to create a new story about humanity. It shows us the only way forward is with each other and the only way that can happen is in our unity, not division.
This effect is also found in the highest stages of mystic traditions and practices, but could never be articulated because of the limitations of language.
The hope is others around the world experience this effect and understand the profound impact we could have if we saw the world (and humanity) from a different viewpoint.
However, we’re also experiencing a dangerous trend in the world, which I am calling the numbing effect.
Instead of challenging ourselves to meet the struggles with the problems, hopes and challenges of our future, people are opting to numb themselves from anything.
It’s much easier to be a troll on the Internet than to confront your own personal issues.
Playing a video game is a lot more satisfying and gives a perceived sense of accomplishment rather than studying, where the rewards aren’t instant.
It’s more satisfying to click on another video, scroll a bit further down your social media feed, or hit ‘Like’ on a post rather than get up and do the hard work that’s necessary.
It’s easy and accessible to use substances to forget about problems rather than take the hard road of dealing with them permanently.
Our world has made it incredibly easy to participate, gather and connect with each other to accomplish some of our greatest triumphs in history. Unfortunately, the dark side of this accessibility is it’s also made it exponentially easier to isolate ourselves mentally, even though we are physically surrounded.
The question going forward for the next fifty years is how do we wake people up, instead of putting them to sleep?
We’ve seen what happens with a worldwide numbing effect.
Think of what we could accomplish with a worldwide overview effect.