Recently I've been fascinated at some of the long-term space missions that various space agency plan.
Some of these missions span multiple decades simply because of the nature of space travel.
A burning question in my mind: how does one get motivated to work on something that they'll probably not even live to see come to fruition/failure? Personally, I wouldn't be, unless if there was some pay involved.
Dealing with climate change is like this. Humans, I think are basically unable to align behind initiatives that do not affect us immediately.
I am a parent. I would like to set up my child for success. But being brutally honest, it's hard for me to even think of what going "above and beyond" means in this respect. I would do everything a normal good parent would do. But then what?
Nobody is paying people to use less plastic or stop polluting etc. So few are incentivized to do anything above and beyond the normal. Superficial things like not using plastic - sure no problem. Keeping a 5 year old phone or wearing worn out shoes - I'll have trouble with these.
A burning question in my mind: how does one get motivated to work on something that they'll probably not even live to see come to fruition/failure? Personally, I wouldn't be, unless if there was some pay involved.
"The wise man plants a tree whose shade only his grandchildren will enjoy."
Some humans are capable of great compassion for the people who will come after us. That is the impetus to create a better world for our children's children (even those of us who don't even have children).
Compassion. Concern for the well-being of the people who will inherit the world when we are gone. Empathy combined with a sense of duty. Some people have those qualities innately. Many people don't.
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As humans our days on this planet are numbered.
It surprises me how we are all sleep walking to extinction and "the masses" truly don't give a damn?
Recently I've been fascinated at some of the long-term space missions that various space agency plan.
Some of these missions span multiple decades simply because of the nature of space travel.
A burning question in my mind: how does one get motivated to work on something that they'll probably not even live to see come to fruition/failure? Personally, I wouldn't be, unless if there was some pay involved.
Dealing with climate change is like this. Humans, I think are basically unable to align behind initiatives that do not affect us immediately.
I am a parent. I would like to set up my child for success. But being brutally honest, it's hard for me to even think of what going "above and beyond" means in this respect. I would do everything a normal good parent would do. But then what?
Nobody is paying people to use less plastic or stop polluting etc. So few are incentivized to do anything above and beyond the normal. Superficial things like not using plastic - sure no problem. Keeping a 5 year old phone or wearing worn out shoes - I'll have trouble with these.
"The wise man plants a tree whose shade only his grandchildren will enjoy."
Some humans are capable of great compassion for the people who will come after us. That is the impetus to create a better world for our children's children (even those of us who don't even have children).
Compassion. Concern for the well-being of the people who will inherit the world when we are gone. Empathy combined with a sense of duty. Some people have those qualities innately. Many people don't.
it is a personal and cultural question, more than anything.
There are cultures where people will pick up litter and sweep the public streets, because they take care in having and keeping things nice.
There are cultures in which dumping your garbage on the street is normalized.
There are even times and places where people complete to die and sacrifice their lives for their their social group.
Many of the masses do give a damn. But there’s not much they can realistically do to make a meaningful difference.