The Singing Astronaut - Chris Hadfield

It may be only a small step in the use of video technology, but when you consider where we are in the timeline of human evolution it is an axial point that exemplifies and signifies our human advancement... the advancement of human civilization and technology combined.

Back here on Earth we are caught up in our complaints, about our lives, our governments, our friends, those with political views that oppose our own, because we are so egocentric that we can't see the forest through the trees. We are busy with why we think our views are not arrogant by constantly taking our rationality out for a walk and exercising it in our beliefs, mannerisms and world view. We seem to forget that we are all in this together.

We think that humans are so primitive and unethical. We think that the 'other' people are screwing up the world. It's their fault, constantly forgetting the log in our own eye. Well, that seems to be our current view. But what if we could look beyond that egocentric view to see that where we are, right now, today, is comprised of, and illustrates, tremendous advancement in the progress of human civilization?

What if we could look beyond the prejudices we hold dear and recognize the progress human civilization has made?

But, you say, everything is so screwed up? What advancement? Well, in most of the western world, women have the right to vote, homo/hetero sexuality is slowly becoming accepted as part of human nature and chemistry rather than something that we need to be afraid of thinking about. Civil rights are protected in many countries and skin color is more beautiful than ever rather than being a reason to harbor disdain.

Think about this: We have made a lot of progress; and we have a long way yet to go in advancing civility in our society here on Earth. But look how far we've come.

Now look at where we are and where we are going. Technology has allowed us to increase global communications to a point so as to influence governments and reduce dictatorship. Communication is key to our progress. From the printing press to the internet we have enabled our rapid advancement through our ability to share ideas and information.

We may still be hampered by our biases and beliefs, but we are reaching beyond them as well. Beyond our petty views and prejudices, beyond our little worlds, and seeing a much larger community, that is Earth.

And now we are looking down at Earth from space and seeing our community in entirely new ways. What has Chris Hadfield really done by making this music video? He has humanized something that has been seen as highly technical. He has brought us into a new sense that humans are rising above it all and advancing despite our silliness, our selfish and immature views of 'the others' around us.

By singing in space, maybe he just brought us down to Earth in our views of our world, our community, the human race….

Chris Hadfield performs Space Oddity

from the International Space Station 243 miles / 391 kilometers above Earth

From the origins of man up to now, we've come a long way