In our modern world, it can be easy to feel disconnected from reality. We go about our days in temperature-controlled buildings and perform tasks with the tap of a finger. Our lives are filled with endless words and images that can seem meaningless or insignificant. But astronauts who have experienced zero-gravity conditions have developed strategies to maintain their morale, which we can all benefit from.
By establishing a daily routine and engaging in purposeful activities, we can preserve the strength of both our bodies and minds. Astronauts exercise on weight-lifting equipment to protect their skeletal structure, while we can engage in activities such as cooking, tinkering, and face-to-face conversations. Just as astronauts bolt down their belongings, we should also work to secure our values and relationships.
But perhaps the most valuable lesson we can learn from astronauts is their attitude towards their unusual environment. Rather than feeling weighed down by the oddness of their surroundings, they embrace the amazingness of outer space. In the same way, we can reframe our own ethereal conditions as a trade-off for the power, knowledge, and freedom that modernity provides. We should embrace the opportunities that exist for exploring human potential and taking a voyage on spaceship earth.
