This is a processed image of the planet Earth from a distance of 6 billion km, taken by the Voyager 1 probe in 1990.
Later, under the impression of this picture, physicist Carl Sagan wrote:
"Take another look at this point. It's here. This is our home. It's us. Everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you've ever heard of, all people who have ever existed have lived their lives on it.
Our many pleasures and sufferings, thousands of self-confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and gatherer, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilizations, every king and peasant, every couple in love, every mother and every father, every gifted child, inventor and traveler, every ethics teacher, every deceitful Every politician, every "superstar," every "greatest leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species has lived here-on a speck suspended in a sunbeam.
The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena.
Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all these generals and emperors so that, in the rays of glory and triumph, they could become short-term masters of a piece of sand. Think of the endless cruelties committed by the inhabitants of one corner of this point over the barely distinguishable inhabitants of another corner. About how often there are disagreements between them, about how eager they are to kill each other, about how hot their hatred is.
Our posturing, our imagined importance, the illusion of our privileged status in the universe - they all succumb to this point of pale light. Our planet is just a single speck of dust in the surrounding cosmic darkness. In this grandiose emptiness, there is not a hint that someone will come to our aid in order to save us from our own ignorance.
Earth is so far the only known world capable of supporting life. We have nowhere else to go-at least in the near future. To visit, yes. Colonize - not yet. Whether you like it or not, Earth is our home now.
They say astronomy instills modesty and strengthens character.
There is probably no better demonstration of stupid human arrogance than this detached picture of our tiny world..."
Later, under the impression of this picture, physicist Carl Sagan wrote:
"Take another look at this point. It's here. This is our home. It's us. Everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you've ever heard of, all people who have ever existed have lived their lives on it.
Our many pleasures and sufferings, thousands of self-confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and gatherer, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilizations, every king and peasant, every couple in love, every mother and every father, every gifted child, inventor and traveler, every ethics teacher, every deceitful Every politician, every "superstar," every "greatest leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species has lived here-on a speck suspended in a sunbeam.
The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena.
Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all these generals and emperors so that, in the rays of glory and triumph, they could become short-term masters of a piece of sand. Think of the endless cruelties committed by the inhabitants of one corner of this point over the barely distinguishable inhabitants of another corner. About how often there are disagreements between them, about how eager they are to kill each other, about how hot their hatred is.
Our posturing, our imagined importance, the illusion of our privileged status in the universe - they all succumb to this point of pale light. Our planet is just a single speck of dust in the surrounding cosmic darkness. In this grandiose emptiness, there is not a hint that someone will come to our aid in order to save us from our own ignorance.
Earth is so far the only known world capable of supporting life. We have nowhere else to go-at least in the near future. To visit, yes. Colonize - not yet. Whether you like it or not, Earth is our home now.
They say astronomy instills modesty and strengthens character.
There is probably no better demonstration of stupid human arrogance than this detached picture of our tiny world..."
