The Overview Effect
By Ethan Maurice | December 16, 2016
Earth Day was last week and got me thinking about this short documentary. It's about something called "the overview effect," which describes the cognitive shift that occurs in astronauts when looking back at Earth from space.
It's an absolutely profound 17 minutes that will change how you think of our planet.
We humans get wrapped up in economics and politics. We worship convenience. Changing how we treat "Spaceship Earth" might not be easy, be the most viable fiscal option, or play to the favor of our political hand, but what's infinitely more important is that we'll still be around to grapple with these issues in the future.
This post won't get much viewership for my site. It might even alienate part of my audience because of the politicization of taking care of our planet. But if a dozen people actually watch this documentary and experience "the overview effect," I know it will stick with them like it has with me. And that would be more than worthwhile.
Sometimes it's worth taking a hit for something bigger than yourself.