Preserving Humanity ?
Preserving humanity by going off into space, just how does that work?
Now, I have no first hand experience in this matter, but I’m told space is a very hostile environment for everything that has adapted to the force of gravity on Earth. I’m told that cosmic rays, radiation from the sun and the stars, is damaging to DNA, procreation is impossible, and were it possible, and the children were to survive, they might be physically and mentally challenged. Of course we might consider surviving children as being physically challenged by our standards, but it might just be the human genome adapting to a new environment and slowly morphing into what we, here on Earth, would consider an alien species. Life on Mars would be no different. Adaptation would be essential, unavoidable, perhaps additionally altered by the adaptation by bacterial forms, the passengers carried to space by the astronauts. So, even if those that evolve into Martians survive the question arises, just how is the exodus by a few persons from Earth preserving humanity? True there may be digital data relating to the inhabitants of Earth, but this still does not preserve humanity, only its history.
Elon Musk would have one million persons transported to Mars, essential he believes to sustain a colony. Very interesting in deed. Think about it, first you have to find one million qualified persons, then you have to ask them to get along with each other. Given the history of Earth, it’s highly unlikely that all of these people are going to get along with each other considering the hardships that they’ll have to endure, and the weakness of individuals when it comes to sharing, and equality. In time there would probably be a power struggle, chaos, controlled only by totalitarian rule (1984).
Given that humans cannot survive as humans in space would it not be better to colonize Mars, the Moon, or some goldilocks planet hundreds of years in Earth’s future, with artificial intelligence imbued with the entire history of human kind, human in appearance, that were capable of learning, and able to replicate themselves?
Now, I’m just wondering if all this desire by those wishing to rush off into space isn’t just desire by a few to fullfill their childhood imagination fuelled by the likes of Jules Verne’s writings, a thing of vanity at the expense of those of us who will remain behind? There’s no doubt that there’s a great deal of thought and imagination involved in planning and succeeding in leaving Earth to explore the unknown, a hazardous gamble at best, but why seek paradise when paradise has already been discovered. Wouldn’t it make more sense to put all of the effort and the resources being spent for a questionable existence by a few into saving humanity from our mistakes, and fix paradise?
It doesn't seem fair to fund the desires of a few with fear of impending disaster, and the false belief that humanity will be saved by leaving a sinking ship before every attempt is made to determine if in fact the ship is sinking.
Perhaps, it's time that we begin to question the proposed exodus from Earth for the purpose of saving humankind, at least the memory of who we were. Humans are resourceful. We are continually adapting. We will survive. Technology imagined, and developed to repair our mistakes, is possible. And, if we are to go the way of the dinosaurs, then so be it, but to turn tail and retreat before we've fought the good fight is cowardice to say the least.
Okay, I'm done preaching for the moment. Time to continue my work on yet another book. Yes, I know, 14 or 15 books would seem enough about one's life experiences, but I like writing, and I've yet to archive a lot of my wildlife paintings and sketches if only to have something for me, myself, and I, to look at in the old age home. Can you see it, an old guy sitting in his tattered bathrobe in a dimly lit hallway, clutching a tattered book, and mumbling to himself. Reminds me of a poem I once wrote:-
A home is a place to rest.
A nursing home is not the best,
place to rest.
It’s a place of last resort,
but certainly not a resort.
A door opens and locks you in.
There’s no escape until your journey ends.
You’ve joined the group of forgotten souls,
but not for long for soon you’ll be gone.
Gone to where,
no one knows.
Heaven some say,
as they drift away
to dreams of yesterday.
Here's a couple of images from my new book to take your mind off of my rantings.....
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| Drake Wood Ducks Graphite Drawing/Study |
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| Out on a Limb - Screech Owl Coloured Etching |
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| Pursuit - Raven and Kestrel Etching |
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| Mealtime - Barn Swallows Graphite & Watercolour Drawing |
