who are We to wonder where we’re going?

November 2023

There’s a certain anxiety in me when i think about having to leave Earth. Of course, i’m also someone who lives with a higher level of anxiety than most. Nevertheless, when i imagine the space beyond our atmosphere, it seems only cold and dark or white hot, with little color in between. Will this be something we’ll have to contend with one day? And if so, if we are successful, what will become the new norm? Will space become “the final frontier?” Will we live out our Renaissance-era quest for tribal control of physical space?

While many events could force us off this planet, one that doesn’t seem to get enough attention is population growth. We are from the days of Malthus’ “Cycle of Misery,” yet there seems to remain the issue that we will at some point overburden the things we share the Earth with. In fact, we already are, but how much that is due to population growth is likely less of an effect than how we are living.

Space travel does seem like a fairly logical next step in humankind’s existence. The idea of it has pervaded through the entirety of the lives of those living in most countries of the Global North today. But so far, the farthest we’ve sent even a handful of humans is the moon. We have not yet actualized a largely space-faring society, no matter how much it lives in our modern collective consciousness. The promise of life beyond this planet is not a guarantee. No matter how much we see human progress as inevitable, there are physical constraints of the universe that we will never overcome. There will never be square circles, and while I can hear the response to that being, “Well no one is asking for square circles,” I also think it’s important we consider not just whether something is possible, but also if it should be possible, and at what cost. If space travel requires we mine the Earth to desolation, is the increased reach of our species worth the destruction of one planet? At some point in the future, we may say yes, just like we currently believe using fossil fuels is worth the impact on the environment and human health. We should remember, though, that the cost of these actions is not one we all face evenly, as often those who are the born the most well off, like myself, tend to have the greatest opportunities for a life well lived.

If we do one day face the possible future that Earth can be our one and only home, how are we going to respond? Will we look back at this current moment in history and regret the actions we took now that affected the state of the planet? Who are we to even wonder where we’re going?

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