Folding the impossible into the
reality of
normal life
Chris
Hadfield
From spaceflight to medicine to renewable energy, we
continue to see
advances that could bring huge benefits to the world. Progress is a
driving force of
humanity, but what does that word “progress” really mean and what
part in it do we have to
play?
We could ask the great minds working in science,
technology and the arts
across the globe, and they would all have their own ways of
explaining it. Their experiences
and aspirations would shape their explanations – I'd like to offer
my own.
A different perspective
I've been lucky enough to orbit the world
approximately 2,600 times – one of
the perks of being an astronaut and commander of the International
Space Station
(ISS). The first time around, it was simply overwhelming.
After a while, I started
to see the world differently. I started to see it as one shared
place. Seeing
the entire world in 90 minutes from the ISS, and then seeing it over
and over again, offers
a unique perspective of our planet and the shared experience of
humanity itself.
We live in unique times. Never before has humanity
had such an informational
awareness not only of itself, but of a bigger picture. We now
possess knowledge of cultures
around the world, our biology, the environment, our planet… the
universe. Most of this
awareness can be attributed to the technological progress that we
are making as a species.
At the same time, the nature of people, as individuals, hasn't
changed much over thousands
of years. Our ancestors probably woke up in the morning with
thoughts very similar to ours.
They probably had similar goals – do something meaningful, take care
of your family and
contribute to your community, stay aware of your surroundings to
stay safe, and hone your
skills. Of course, they probably had other goals that weren't so
peaceful or constructive.
The closer you get, the less you see
The combination of ever-faster technological
development and relatively
stable human nature, I believe, may have created some confusion for
all of us. Let me
demonstrate with two examples. Firstly, quite a surprising fact
appeared in the news in 2020
– more and more people are growing an artery that we didn't have
before. We know this thanks
to scientists' opportunity to observe human evolution in real-time.
This isn’t a small
genetic difference, but a (presumably) species-wide change in our
cardiovascular system.
This is surprising to us, because we tend to look at the
world in the context of our
lifespans. Simply acknowledging that there are things happening
outside our field of
influence and over time-spans longer than our minds were built
to absorb, is quite
difficult. Acting upon this information is almost
impossible.
Secondly, there's this notion of the lone genius
that, in some cultures, we
tend to glorify. A person that, allegedly, has helped humankind to
progress on their own. A
brilliant scientist or successful businessperson are the most
obvious examples. In the
cultural whirlwind these people tend to create, we often forget that
there's always a wider
context – all the knowledge they build upon. We forget that
no one really made
significant advances without knowledge of the work of others
before them. No
one gave birth to themselves, suckled themselves or changed their
own nappy. No one
single-handedly built the infrastructure around them, built the
power grids, the roads,
houses, or technology. Who "created" fire or invented clothing?
Breaking out from this
narrow, individualistic perspective is very difficult.
A double-edged sword
Our technological progress is a double-edged sword –
providing both threats
and opportunities. It's up to us to decide the direction we take.
Some time ago, on a dry
hillside in Africa, archaeologists found some stones on the ground.
One of our earliest
forebears had squatted down, struck a stone and created a sharp
edge. This edge could have
been used to cut meat or to break open some sort of fruit –
improving the user’s quality of
life. Of course, it could also have been a weapon. Even with that
very first shaped stone,
there are good and bad sides to technology. Technology, by its very
nature, is a great
enabler to improve the quality of human life, but it can also be
used for destructive
purposes. Just like our early ancestors, we must always be aware of
how we are using our
technologies. How are we allowing them to shape the overall
collective health of the future
of all of us? Technology gives us that choice.
Standing on the shoulders of giants
How do we figure out the path to a positive future?
In my opinion, a great
start would be acknowledging that we are the lucky recipients of the
contribution of
countless people that have gone before us. We are just the next
group of people lucky enough
to have that legacy of accomplishment. Hopefully, we can raise the
bar a little higher, move
technology a little further, and give following generations a
slightly better chance than we
had. The history of spaceflight is not just da Vinci, the Wright
brothers, Tsiolkovsky or
Goddard. It's wings, propellers, the combustion engine, rockets, and
a shared ambition to
become free of the constraints of gravity.
Building a society where we can thrive as
individuals is crucial,
because that's what makes raising the next generation possible,
but at the same time we
have to create an environment of collaboration and a common
ambition to achieve goals
greater than ourselves. How can we help to change
technology, or the way we
look at it, or the way we educate our children, so that it gives us
a greater chance in the
future, not just of survival, but of a brighter future where people
can realize their true
potential?
How can we contribute, in our little way,
using our own individual
abilities to influence others positively? If we can make that
our mantra, then maybe we
can shift our own particular objectives to some degree and begin
working towards making
impossible things happen. That's the first step, after
which we can start
folding the impossible into the reality of normal lives and making
it beneficial for
everyone on (or off, for that matter) this planet. This is what I
believe true human
progress means.
Chris Hadfield - Astronaut, Engineer and
Pilot
The first
Canadian to walk in space, Chris Hadfield has flown two Space
Shuttle missions and served as
commander of the International Space Station. He’s also the first
astronaut-influencer to
popularize astronomy and bring outer space within our reach.
