It’s Not About Us
Finally, one last thought: what I'm telling you is that the end of the planet is happening. It is happening now. Continuing to ignore that fact only accelerates the process. Our only chance of surviving is to stop ignoring both the fact and the ultimate consequence. Pann [a friend with whom I had a near-dying-of-thirst experience] and I didn't ration the water until we saw the need. Humans will not ration our resources until we see the need.
So long as we harbor the fantasy that the universe is about human beings, we will be unable to recognize our true circumstance. The first step toward Mars, then, is to give that idea up. No, even before that, we must learn to recognize it every time it slips out, as it does so frequently that you'll be flabbergasted once you start watching for it.
A powerful way of debunking our human-centric view of the universe is to go outside on a dark night, preferably far from city lights, and look up at the stars. Knowing what they are, and knowing that the ancients, who wrote all the old religious texts, did not know what they are, can you really support the most basic assumption of the religions that dominate the world today? I certainly cannot. I will no longer use the belief that the universe was created for humans as a justification for the destruction of the rest of the Lifeforce.