An astronaut has revealed that he made a ‘sobering realization’ after seeing Earth from outer space.
Ron Garan, a former NASA astronaut, spent 178 days in space and traveled over 71 million miles in 2,842 orbits in his career.
Now as he reflects on his experiences, he’s shared that humanity is ‘living a lie.’
Garan’s revelation is far more profound than any flat Earth theory.
In an interview with Big Think, he recounted the moment he realized that society had been looking at everything the wrong way.
Garan experienced the so-called overview effect, a phenomenon reported by many astronauts when they see Earth from space.
According to BBC’s Sky at Night magazine, this experience can lead to spiritual awakenings or a deepened connection to the planet. Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell even described it as an “explosion of awareness,” as cited by Neotic.
For those fortunate enough to witness Earth from such a unique perspective, the experience can evoke powerful and unexpected emotions.
The astronaut described having a sobering realization as he gazed out the window.
“I saw the paparazzi-like flashes of lightning storms, the dancing curtains of auroras so close it felt like I could reach out and touch them,” Garan told Big Think. “And I saw the unbelievably thin layer of our planet’s atmosphere.”
In that moment, he was struck by a profound truth.
“I realized that this paper-thin layer is the only thing keeping every living being on our planet alive,” he said.
Garan noted that, from space, he didn’t see economies or borders—only an iridescent biosphere teeming with life.
“But since our human-made systems treat everything, including the very life-support systems of our planet, as a wholly owned subsidiary of the global economy,” he continued, “it’s clear from space that we’re living a lie.”
Garan also reflected on his profound experience in an interview with Forbes, describing how it “just blew him away.”
“The other thing I felt—and I can’t really explain it—was that being completely detached from Earth made me feel deeply connected to everyone on the planet,” he shared. “It was this overwhelming sense of kinship.”
His observations highlight a crucial message: we need to rethink our priorities.
Since returning to Earth, Garan has become a passionate advocate for environmental stewardship, emphasizing the need to prioritize planetary health over economic gains.
He founded the Manna Energy Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to providing clean drinking water in developing nations, and launched Fragile Oasis, a project aimed at driving positive global change.
As humanity continues reaching for the stars, the lessons learned from space may be the key to ensuring a thriving Earth for generations to come.
