Former NASA space cadet Ronald Garan didn’t just float through space for 178 days to discover that the Earth isn’t flat.
Instead, he came to the “sobering realization” that we humans are all “living a lie.”
The 62-year-old had an unobstructed view of planet Earth and what he discovered was not what he expected.
During his career at NASA, Ronald flew over 114 million kilometers in 2,842 orbits and has undoubtedly experienced the ‘overview effect’ more than once.
NASA astronaut Ron Garan had a strange awakening in space (ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images)
Scientists use this term to describe the feeling of “unexpected and overwhelming emotion” that astronauts experience when looking at Earth from space.
While aboard the International Space Station, the former NASA astronaut saw a long line of lights stretching across Asia.
Then he realised that it was a man-made border structure between India and Pakistan.
In a 2016 TED talk, he said, “At first I saw this as a strange reflection of moonlight on a river.
“I was very intrigued. It turned out that this was not a natural reflection at all.
“I always said that you can’t see borders from space, but apparently I was wrong.
“From space, Earth almost always looks beautiful and peaceful.
“But was this an example of human-induced changes to the landscape that were clearly visible from space?”
Ronald has flown 71 million miles in 2,842 orbits during his career at NASA. (Erika Goldring/Getty Images)
And in a 2022 interview with Big Think, Ronald explained why he thinks people are “living a lie” and that our general view of everyday life is outdated.
He explains: “When I looked out the window of the International Space Station, I saw the paparazzi-like flashes of lightning, I saw dancing curtains of aurora that seemed so close it was like we could touch them.
“And I saw how incredibly thin the atmosphere of our planet is.
“At that moment I suddenly realized that that wafer-thin layer keeps everything alive on our planet.
“I saw an iridescent biosphere full of life.
He admits that Earth looks “beautiful and peaceful” from space. (Getty Stock Images)
“I didn’t see the economics. But since our man-made systems treat everything, including our planet’s life support systems, as a wholly owned subsidiary of the global economy, it’s clear from the perspective of space that we’re living a lie.”
He stressed that we should focus on more important issues, such as the climate crisis, rather than the economy.
“From space it is clear that we are living a lie,” Garan added.
“We need to move from thinking in terms of economy, society, planet to planet, society, economy. Then we will continue our evolutionary process.
“A light goes on and they realize how interconnected and interdependent we all are.
“We cannot have peace on earth until we recognize the fundamental fact of the inter-structure of all reality.”