Written or Not?

Science Fiction creates worlds that can only be imagined - whether Jules Vernes' Journey to the Center of the World or 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey or Andy Weir's The Martian.  Each book and movie explores humanity's journey, exploration, curiosity, and survival.

As I watched the first season of Star Trek: Picard, I was struck by the similarities and differences in this new series:  life had moved on for the well-known characters of Picard, Riker, Troi, Data, and Seven-of-Nine.  Their past experiences defined who they had become, but they were still seeking out what it meant to be human in community... and what it meant to sacrifice and be responsible for others.

What was it like when you truly saw yourself for the first time?
(Photo credit:  Earthrise, Astronaut William Anders,
December 1968)

At one point Picard tells Captain Chris Rios, “The past is written, but the future is left for us to write."  It was an invitation to continue, to stay connected, and to seek out what is good about life.

Growing up during "The Space Race," I was taken by the early photos  of our planet from space.  Humans had looked up at the Moon for centuries, but it wasn't until the 1960s that we actually saw Earth from the perspective of the Moon!

Where do you see separation with others?
(Photo credit:  Night Satellite of Africa and Europe, Geology.com)

The astronauts' brought to our attention -- and John Lennon asked us to imagine -- a planet without borders.  Our Distance Above provided a new perspective:  life past and present doesn't have to be the same in the future.

Yes, we are connected to our experiences and what has formed us, but as Elnor says in Star Trek: Picard:  "My friends, choose life!"  That is, we have a choice in what we write in our future!

How can you explore beauty?
(Photo credit:  Astronomy Picture of the Day - The Tarantula Zone,
NASA, March 8, 2024)

If anything, science fiction and space exploration have merged in this century:

• Our curiosity seeks to understand our beginning (past).
• Our imagination transforms fiction into reality (present).
• Our hope explores better ways of being (future).
  

Whether we see ourselves for the first time or we realize we are sometimes disconnected by the borders we have created, we can always seek out the beauty within ourselves and others as we write future chapters of life together.

Maybe it is time for us to engage more fully in exploration and reflection on what is important to us and those we love.  Maybe it is time to identify the labels that separate us.  Maybe it is time to imagine and work towards a future that connects us to the beauty that exists.
 

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting

(click on link for website)