THE OVERVIEW EFFECT

"Once a photograph of the Earth, taken from outside, is available, we shall, in an emotional sense, acquire an additional dimension....Once let the sheer isolation of the Earth became plain to every [hu]man, whatever his nationality or creed, and a new idea as powerful as any in history will be let loose".

- Fred Hoyle. (1948)

The Overview Institute was established to spread the message of what they call the Overview Effect. This is their video and their words are quoted below. Just take 19 mins and 10 seconds out of your day to experience a profound change in consciousness. We see the fragile nature of our world, the inter-connectedness of all things. We have to start acting as a species.

     A Critical Time

'We live at a critical moment in human history.  The challenges of climate change, food, water and energy shortages as well as the increasing disparity between the developed and developing nations are testing our will to unite, while differences in religions, cultures, and politics continue to keep us apart.  The creation of a "global village" through satellite TV and the Internet is still struggling to connect the world into one community.   At this critical moment, our greatest need is for a global vision of planetary unity and purpose for humanity as a whole.'

The Overview Effect

'For more than four decades, astronauts from many cultures and backgrounds have been telling us that, from the perspective of Earth orbit and the Moon, they have gained such a vision.  There is even a common term for this experience:  "The Overview Effect", a phrase coined in the book of the same name by space philosopher and writer Frank White. 

'It refers to the experience of seeing firsthand the reality of the Earth in space, which is immediately understood to be a tiny, fragile ball of life, hanging in the void, shielded and nourished by a paper-thin atmosphere.  

'From space, the astronauts tell us, national boundaries vanish, the conflicts that divide us become less important and the need to create a planetary society with the united will to protect this "pale blue dot" becomes both obvious and imperative.  Even more so, many of them tell us that from the Overview perspective, all of this seems imminently achievable, if only more people could have the experience!'