” To have that experience of awe is, at least for the moment, to let go of yourself, to try to send that sense of separation, so it’s not just that they were experiencing something other than them, but that they were at some very deep level integrating, realizing the interconnectedness with that beautiful blooming ball…” – David Loy, in Overview

On this mini-movie “Overview” released in 2012, through a series of interviews with astronauts and philosophers, you really get to see Earth from a different perspective.

There’s one thing astronauts said they caught themselves doing more often than not while in space, which was what they they called “Earth Gazing”. In their respective missions the focus often was on the Moon, or on the Stars, or on Mars, but once they were up there they had a profound realization when they looked back at what was behind them.

They describe Earth as a “oasis in the middle of nothingness”. In “Overview” a series of images and video clips takes you to a place of speechlessness, of just pure amazement where talking about what you’re seeing doesn’t matter at the moment.

Seeing Earth just floating in the middle of infinity, with its constantly changing ecosystem mutating through auroras, thunder storms, cloud formations, ocean currents, and human presence makes you wonder what are you here for.

Being here is extremely hard to think about these things, because we are so caught up in the lives that we’ve created for ourselves, our problems, our jobs, our relationships, that we never take the time to look at what’s around us.

I’ve always said that, so far, the one thing that has amazed me the most in this short period of life that I have gotten to experience on Earth is the human spirit.

Looking how far humanity has come, from hundreds of thousands of years ago to today, we get to look up to the skies and “see” people adventuring into the cosmos. Just imagine going back and telling our cavemen ancestors that one day we would be up there.

This film will have some profound effect on you the same way it had on me. Enjoy and share it with others!

 

PA