To Infinity And Beyond

Yet another nose-dive into the tepid waters of the internet has brought me the following hilarious statement: The Earth is perfectly designed for us. Us being humans.

And I cannot help but think... really?
70% of this rock consists of water you cannot drink, air you cannot breathe, land you cannot farm. Step outside at the wrong time of year, and you'll freeze to death or die from heatstroke. Spend too much time outside, and you'll get skin cancer. Spend too much time inside, and you'll die from various anatomical malfunctions due to vitamin D deficiency.
And that’s before we even include the platoon of teeth and venom ready to tear your pretty little toes off.
The list goes on.

Sure, if you live safely in a house with strong walls, a decent air conditioning and heating system, a fridge full of food, all your favorite shows at the press of a button, and a supermarket just down the road—it will all seem ever so perfect.
That’s the thing though… we made it perfect (cough cough), for us.
Earth without the mods is a deadly place.
Life itself has been fighting a non-stop battle for survival since a couple of amino acids conglomerated into the first amoeba. Life had to constantly stay on its tippy-toes just to not die.

Humans are but one of a very short list of animals that have found ways to change our environment, rather than ourselves, in order to survive.
It took us nearly 300,000 years just to get our own teeth to stop killing us before we turned 30.

This was a very roundabout way to get to the crux of my rant today, which is the overwhelming disinterest in traveling beyond the atmosphere.

When asked, quite a depressing number of people suggest either that they have no interest in exploring the stars, or outright call the endeavor pointless—as “we have everything we need right here.”
I can understand that reasoning, but on principle, I must say it’s saddening.
It displays a frankly dismal level of curiosity.
Which, to my mind, is actually one of the reasons (if not among the most influential) that has brought humanity this far on a planet that constantly wants to kill us.

I, myself, would not hesitate at the opportunity to travel the black seas up there.
Although I must admit, I am well aware that I offer next to no usefulness in the field of scientific inquiry or discovery.
I would simply be there to take in the sights and snap a pretty picture or two.
I would not be able to tell you what exactly is happening in those pictures—but I would be able to write something snarky about them.

All that being said...

Yes, we have made a few corners of this planet very comfortable and convenient for us to live in.
And yes, she is an absolutely gorgeous little blue dot.
But that is not enough for me to want to stay here.
There is so much more to be seen out there, far more beautiful and mesmerizing feats of nature to behold.

Yes, they are distant, and if I’m being realistic, far beyond the reach of a single human lifetime—at least for now.
But that, to me, is no excuse, and no reason, to turn my eyes and dreams away from the heavens.

To infinity and beyond.