I think one of the bigger, overarching issues plaguing the world today is the idea that Earth is still like a game of Risk with different nations vying for majority, or even complete, control of the planet and its resources. When our world leaders are focused on each other and not on the people or the world they represent, it becomes very clear that we are getting closer to a less sustainable world.
This past summer, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos went up into space in his Blue Origin rocket paving the way for future civilian spaceflight. When he returned, he explained that “when you look at the planet, there are no borders…It’s one planet, and we share it and it’s fragile.”
I might not be a big fan of Bezos, but I definitely agree with this statement and wonder how we may capitalize on the idea of seeing the world without borders. I started thinking that, with the increase in commercial and civilian spaceflight, all of the major world leaders should be sent into space and look out onto the Earth so that they can, at the very least, see the planet without borders and without conflict. My hope would be that this leads to more cooperation among nations and an understanding that Earth is a finite resource that doesn’t perceive borders and it is not worth wasting our time in wars and diplomatic conflict.
When we look at the world without borders, we may start to focus on issues that pertain to everyone such as environmental issues like climate change and energy production or economic issues such as wages and poverty. Collective action towards these goals is the most important part of making sure they are actually achieved. There is no time to debate whether or not we should act while we are already seeing the effects of these issues; global temperatures are increasing, and wealth inequality is increasing all while nothing is being done by either governments or by collective action of the people despite public outcry.
Of course, I am not saying we should do away with cultural and ethnic identities that come from the countries we live in, rather I am saying we should start seeing each other as people with these differences that can still come together in times of need and are all deserving of a long and healthy life. In so many cases we have seen the ability for people to work together cooperatively in crises. Perhaps it is too late for our current leaders to change their mindsets to be more collective and cooperative, however, educating younger generations of the importance of differences and cooperating without violence or conflict with other people may just bring about a new generation of leaders who will see the world and act as if there were no borders on the issues that need it the most.