Thoughts From The Moon
NASA’s Artemis II mission to the other side of the moon captivated me. From my kitchen, I connected to the cosmos, where years of scientific preparation met humanity. Artemis surpassed the distance any human has ever traveled into Space since 1970. Although the mission seemed so far away, relevance to all of us couldn’t be more significant. Most of us can agree there are many fractured and broken places in our world. Yet, the report from our astronauts so far away is that the Earth has a radiant and blinding light that emits a grand wholeness to the universe and beyond.
In his Easter Sunday impromptu reflection, Astronaut Victor Glover stilled me with his words. While swaying next to the other three crew members in their zero-gravity setting, Glover said, “No matter your faith or religion, for me, the teachings of Jesus were always a simple truth. Love. Universal love. Love yourself and love others. Something for us, being up here and looking back at all of you through one tiny window, is that (this truth) resonates 100% true. Our goal as humanity should be to just follow that example of love…it will serve us well.”
Glover’s message reminded me that if we limit our view of the world to that which serves us, we may miss opportunities to connect with others who live and think differently. Wisdom spoken from the moon challenges us to remember we don’t live in a vacuum. We are all Earthlings, and because we all share residency in this oasis, we are called to expand our experience of one another so we can exist together with less division, judgement, and narrowmindedness. Reminders that all Earthlings benefit from being kind and loving to one another is a simple message, but one that often feels lost.
I found Glover’s words to be a powerful antidote to the cruelties, injustices, and tribalization that leave us hungry for charity, compassion, and yes, love.
He continued, “For me, one of the important and personal perspectives that I have up here is I can really see Earth as one thing. You are talking to us because we’re in a spaceship this far from Earth, but you are on a spaceship called Earth that was created to give us a place to live in the universe, this cosmos. Maybe the distance we are from you makes you think what we’re doing is special, but we are the same distance from you. What I’m trying to tell you is that in all this emptiness, you have this oasis, this beautiful place that we get to exist together. I think about all the cultures around the world and the opportunity for us to remember where we are, who we are, and that we are the same thing. We’ve got to get through this thing together.”
In the aftermath of this extraordinary mission, I hope we can stretch ourselves towards a greater good for the sake of all. Mission Specialist Christina Koch, after seeing Earth’s radiant glow from so far away, noted how much of a miracle Planet Earth really is. She said, “Everything we need the Earth provides.” Her words are an extraordinary reminder of how special our Earth home is. As Koch noted after this historic moon flyby, “We will always choose Earth – we will always choose each other.”
When I get so immersed in my own sorrows and triumphs, I forget how insignificant my world really is. Placing my little existence into the cradle of Mother Earth’s reach somehow gives me a sense of peace and trust. In the glow of the Artemis II mission, perhaps a few more of us wish to be part of that radiance that glows far beyond where we can see. It is within that light we can really see how we all belong together.