We are all astronauts

We are all astronauts on spaceship Earth. It's funny that we think of space as being out there but it is also right here. We are in space flying around on this planet. To anyone outside they would look at us as we look at Mars or beyond. We are in space. A select few have had the privilege to look back at the Earth from a distance and be affected by having done this. 

"When you're finally up at the moon looking back on Earth, all those differences and nationalistic traits are pretty well going to blend, and you're going to get a concept that maybe this really is one world and why the hell can't we learn to live together like decent people?" 
Frank Borman Apollo 8 

A couple of things have come to mind recently regarding this. Somehow, these astronauts have experienced something that has given them an explanation for the world and why we are here and how we should live. I think you'd be a strange kind of human to not be changed by such an experience but they do seem to have found it to be a very spiritual and uplifting moment in their lives. Also humbling. 

"It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn't feel like a giant. I felt very, very small."
Neil Armstrong

Having had this experience and having spoken about it widely, how come the world has not paid them any attention? How come the world continues down the same path it always has? Either the world chooses not to listen to their words of wisdom or it chooses to ignore them.
Another thing which probably touches me more deeply is that I have always believed in the power of pictures. Many of you know that I try very hard to inject feeling and emotion into my photographs. It may not always be easy to spot this but when I am standing on a mountainside captivated by the beauty before me I want some of that feeling of magic and captivation to be in the picture I create so that you might have a chance to feel like I felt at that moment. You probably will never get to stand where I was standing so this is your chance to experience it and, if I have done my job right, you will feel something of what I felt. I honestly never take snap shots. I don't get too bogged down in techniques and technical skills, though I can call on them when required. My photography is quite intuitive and emotional. This brings me back to the subject of the astronauts. Some of the pictures of the Earth are just stunning. They really touch me as I think is only right. They tell me about the beauty of the planet and it's fragility and how it needs to be looked after. And, in these pictures you can't see all the bad stuff going on in the world. I just would have hoped that these pictures would have had a bigger effect on the world, it's people and it's leaders. To make them see how lucky we are to have this planet to live on and how lucky we all are just to have a life to live. Am I wrong though? Do I put too much store in the power of pictures? 
Few people could say that war is a good thing after looking through some of the photographs of the great war photographers. Many famine situations have been helped enormously by the powerful and heart wrenching  photographs published. History is shown in pictures whether photographs or not. Maybe the picture is still a powerful thing. I do hope so. Maybe the ideas of planet Earth seen from a distance are just too big to cope with? Maybe the other things work because they are on a more personal level. I don't know. That could be it. Maybe thinking of the planet on such a wide scale is just too big for people to cope with? Well, I hope they start to cope with it soon. It is a fragile planet and we are not taking care of it. 

"Oddly enough the overriding sensation I got looking at the Earth was, my God that little thing is so fragile out there."
Mike Collins Apollo 11

If we could all just see ourselves as astronauts and then see as the astronauts see, there would be more hope. 

One of the reasons I found myself thinking along these lines is a recent series of images from which I have found captivating. You will find them shortly in my feature. 
Speaking of my feature........(nice link Lawrence) here are some pictures that have caught my attention recently. I have had a little time to look over the last few days as I have the flu. Whilst I know this will pass I am still a bad patient. Being ill just is not my thing. So anyway, it has given me more time to look at dA and watch TV so it's not all bad. 
Here we are then. Sit back and enjoy some stunning artwork made by some simply stunning artists That means you, and you and you...you...you..................all of you

                

           

            

            

             

           

        

          

         

        

          

                    

            

   

          

            

       

                       

           

                

         

         

               

           

            

      

      

            

I hope you enjoyed this selection. You have all been very busy which makes choosing harder. 
So, if looking at the bigger picture is hard we can start small. Look at how we are affecting the planet as individuals and try to be better. Also remember we are all astronauts on this spaceship so we need to take care of each other. There is so much bad stuff going on we can at least look after each other. 
Spread the love and let your creative juices flow. Let beauty and creativity and love be your legacy. I hope it will be mine. 
As always, my love to you all.