One Thing That I Like About Space Travel That I Try To Articulate A Little In This Song, But Doesn't Really Have Nuance In That Format

One Thing That I Like About Space Travel That I Try To Articulate A Little In This Song, But Doesn’t Really Have Nuance In That Format

I think that space exploration forces us to look at how ridiculous it is to claim land as our own to the extent that we shoot people for not staying the fuck out of our made-up country. It’s important that where people live be respected, and I’m not saying that people don’t have certain rights in terms of living space and retention thereof, and I’m getting complicated colonial thoughts right now and this sentence is just going to end in acknowledgement of that.

But when we go to the Moon, or Mars, or anywhere else out in the great new frontier of space, it forces one to consider that the idea of claiming it as yours and yours alone and yours forever is weird. (Especially when you don’t consider your impact on that piece of land for whoever finds it after you’re dead.) When you’re claiming a piece of Mars - why? What does this have to do with you? Why are you here, what are your intentions? Because it’s not a planet we’re used to, it’s more clear that these questions should be asked, and it’s a small jump from that to inquiring what a lot of people are doing back on Earth. Why is this particular foot of Texas different from that particular foot of Mexico? Why are you willing to patrol this imaginary line with guns? What rights do you have to grant people land they were already living on? What rights does a corporation have to resources that people need? (We’re veering, but it’s still applicable to the possibilities of space and planetary exploration.)

The way that we envision our occupation of Earth is really bizarre, and I’m not claiming at all to know The One Right Way To Look At It. I’m just saying that space exploration encourages inquiry about attitudes and behaviors on the home planet. And our home planet needs more inquiry. And maybe the moon needs less flags on it. Or more flags on it. I don’t even know.

WHAT I’M SAYING IS THAT PEOPLE-IN-SPACE ILLUMINATES TO ME OUR SHARED HUMANITY AND THAT’S BEAUTIFUL AND PART OF THE REASON WHY SPACE EXPLORATION IS IMPORTANT FOR THIS GENERATION AND NOT JUST FUTURE GENERATIONS WHO MIGHT LIVE OFF-WORLD OR WHATEVER.

Girl. I love you.

I am looking forward to your song. :) It will be brilliant, all of your songs are, you know.