19 Comments
Nov 23, 2022Liked by Sarah Wilson

"Can someone please take these dudes camping?" Ha – yes!! I really feel that at the root of this is that people like Elon Musk have entirely lost their connection to the rest of the living world. Once you start deepening that connection, awe can be found not just in standing on the top of a mountain top or camping in the desert under the stars, but also in noticing and appreciating the seemingly small things – patterns in the sand on the beach, lichen on the rocks, fungi growing on the forest floor, strands of kelp swirling around in the ocean (a personal obsession of mine). To me, all of these things inspire a far greater sense of awe and wonder than imagining myself on Mars, which frankly, sounds uninviting, cold and boring.

Sarah, have you read this powerful piece that William Shatner wrote after becoming the oldest person to travel into space? Instead of being the celebration he'd hoped for, the experience left him feeling a deep sense of grief:

https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/william-shatner-space-boldly-go-excerpt-1235395113/?fbclid=IwAR2GX0QMh5DJ5_evZEWUfox7arD87M6taYO0HnLFSA1aKTKHYzswsKdUjQ8

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Nov 23, 2022Liked by Sarah Wilson

I've been following you for years, Sarah but only just subscribed... It was this line that pushed me over the edge.

'But they’re merely selling us tickets to awesome.'

Absolute gobshites. Can I say that? 😁

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Nov 23, 2022Liked by Sarah Wilson

I like Nick’s definition. And by his words, you are awesome Sarah 💗

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Sarah! Thank you for dancing bravely in the paradox and highlighting the extraordinary in the ordinary. What a beautiful definition, it puts words to feelings I have but could never describe. Xo

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Awesome -like you said Sarah- is found in the jaw dropping moments of nature and being around people who make us feel wild and alive. Mr Musk being on another planet - or lost somewhere in his shuttle, actually not a bad result. Well for us normal types here on Earth anyway, less so for any Martians he may encounter...

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Nov 23, 2022Liked by Sarah Wilson

“When I travel, awesome hits when I’m at my edge; it’s never bought or provided.” Thisthisthis is something I’ve been trying to articulate for years. And unfortunately it makes me a not-great travelling companion for people I love dearly, because as soon as travel gets micro-managed I can’t help but… check out.

Entirely separately, I’m no actuary, but given self-driving cars can barely turn left (right for us) after 10 years of development and $160 billion of investment https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2022/10/160-billion-and-10-years-of-development-later-and-self-driving-cars-can-barely-turn-left/amp/, Elon’s goal of having astronauts cruising around Mars in a mere 6 or so years seems, um, unlikely to be achievable. Thank God.

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"Feeling enriched by way of feeling diminished". Love it! Thanks for articulating this.

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God I love this so much! Yes to it all!

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Love this!

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Sadly I can see @ElonMusk setting up a Gigafactory on Mars 🌕

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Loved this. Especially your last line about taking these guys camping haha.

There are two things that come up for me every time I hear the ‘Occupy Mars / Jet Into Space’ steps for the 1%, apart from which you’ve mentioned:

1 - Mars is a barren planet, whereas Earth is lush and filled with gobsmacking, intelligent life we can barely wrap our head around. Why on earth would anyone want to live on the former over the latter? Even if they do find drops of frozen water in a cave on Mars, it’s still got a long way to go to reach Earth’s magnificence. If these Mars-seekers really have a thing for red dirt and empty, rocky hills they can go to such places on Earth where they can least breathe the air without needing a space helmet and are cheaper to get to. I’ll take Earth’s varied beauty, and as you say ‘awesomeness’ over Mars’ emptiness any time. 

(Sometimes with my sci-fi brain I think - what if Mars used to be just like Earth?! What if the version of intelligent life at the top of the food chain which lived there destroyed the planet through their own folly and the result is a desolate, life-less place. Maybe Mars is our crystal ball, right beside us to teach us to take care of the miracle of life on Earth.)

2 - If only the people spending billions on Mars / space put that money into problem solving the climate crisis, cleaning up pollution and saving endangered species etc - imagine the good they could do!

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