Illustration by Susanne Gold/ text by Ted Ganten
In this clip you will get more information on “Terraism”.

Imaging earth as speace ship helps to question existing set up on earth. A comon goal of mankind to conquer space as quite some potential. But is coloniazation of space inspiring, motivating and challenging enough? And if it were what would be the effect on the pschology of society?

Together motivated

Of course, space colonization will not be “the goal” of every single human being and it is not supposed to replace or relativize inner goals like happiness, redemption, bliss. Not everybody will or will want to participate directly or indirectly in a space program. You may also object that such a goal does not have the potential to reach everyone in the more rural or less developed areas of the world. This is certainly true. If you fight for survival every day, such topics should not really move you. But not everyone needs to be motivated. After all, the moon landing in 1969 attracted so much attention that my parents still talk about it today. The launches of the space shuttles were broadcast live for years and made international headlines. The landing of the first remote-controlled robots on Mars was intensively discussed and noted worldwide. The new Space-X rocket, which brought astronauts to the International Space Station for the first time after many years using American technology, was on everyone’s lips. Anyone who reads the newspapers attentively will repeatedly read reports from the European, Russian, American and Chinese space agencies and programs. Does the colonization of space have the potential to fascinate the media and thus the global public? I would say yes. It has already proven it, although it was mainly just national initiative.

Motivated togetherness

Let us assume that a large part of mankind would potentially be enthusiastic about the goal of colonizing space. An individual state or a corporation alone cannot achieve this goal. We would have to pursue this together. The sense of community would be additionally strengthened by the fact that there would then be the “others” again. Mentally and at some point perhaps in reality, not with regard to other nations but to mankind on other celestial bodies. People who do not live on the planet Terra. We will have to deal with the fact that there is a constructive interaction with the others – but first a helpful “we-feeling” is anchored over a long period of time in the people on our planet Earth. Also, such an enormous goal will make it necessary that we have to start thinking in longer periods of time again. Away from my paycheck this month and my tax return this year, away from the election the year after next, and towards a view over decades.

After a lot of preparation we will be getting to the heart of this booklet next week: The Terraism. I will introduce a new ethical concept for the planet …