“We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
Through the unknown, remembered gate
When the last of earth left to discover
Is that which was the beginning;..”

 T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets      

Me, you, we, them, – an the overview effect.

I started this website in 2014 with this opening text. “What a magnificent universe we are a part of! What a fantastic earth we live on!  And what amazingly unique brains and nervous systems we humans are in possession of!” And I added the question: “Can our emotions and psychology match this excellence?

  Our neighboring Galaxy, The Andromeda Galaxy.  distance 2 537 000 Light Years from Earth. (Photo by The Hubble telescope, Image Credit & Copyright: Robert Gendler)

Our Psychological Universe with it’s conscious and unconscious layers?

1.

The overview Effect

“A cognitive shift in awareness” linked to “the experience of seeing firsthand the reality that the Earth is in space.” (Frank White)

On top of First Page on Psychological Universe I had this enigmatic Frontpage Photo of the enormous Andromeda Galaxy, the sister Spiral Galaxy to our Milky Way. By this I wanted to remind ourselves of the Cosmic perspective we live within. I wanted to make it easier for us to distance ourselves from the trivial daily issues that catch our attention and imprison us.

Likewise, I wanted to widen the perspective, – get us out of that often too small frame, limiting us inside a somewhat narrow space of selfishness, greed and retaliation. (http://www.selvuniverset.com/2017/02/18/greedy-and-needytotally-selfcenteredisatiable-hunger-for-moneyscrupulousunstoppableneed-to-be-stopped/)

The aim was to make us feel a greater connectedness to each other, and to our life preserving mother earth floating around in that vast and seemingly empty and cold universe.

Photo: NASA, “Earthrise”

Cosmonaut Jurij Gagarin, the very first human being to orbit the earth on April 1961, said when he had landed:

“Circling the Earth in my orbital spaceship, I marveled at the beauty of our planet, People of the world, let us safeguard and enhance this beauty, and not destroy it.”

Yuri Gagarin, the first human to be launched into space. (photo from unknown Russian source)

Hundreds of travellers in space has since then commented on the same view and perspective, that looking down on earth from up there, is a wake-up experience of feeling life on earth as being connected on all areas and levels.

“Man in space” (Copyright LifeScience)

Me, you and the others, – together as a WE.

Becky Ferreira cites space philosopher Frank White who in his Book “The overview Effect” coined this phenomenon in1987. He called itas already quoted: “A cognitive shift in awareness” linked to “the experience of seeing firsthand the reality that the Earth is in space.”

Ferreira writes on “Motherboard”, October 2016: “The Overview Effect is the motivational kick-in-the-butt we need to save humanity from extinction and journey beyond our home world.”   

Space Shuttle astronaut Don L. Lind, commented on the overview effect like this: “There was no intellectual preparation I hadn’t made. But there is no way you can be prepared for the emotional impact. It was a moving enough experience that it brought tears to my eyes.”

1. Astronauts Don L. Lind (photo spacefacts.de) 2. James Irwing, (photo ozy)

Astronaut John Erwin on Apollo 15 (over), went even further in his sharing of this experience: “That beautiful, warm living object looked so fragile, so delicate, that if you touched it with a finger it would crumble and fall apart, Seeing this has to change a man, has to make a man appreciate the creation of God and the love of God.” (from Ferreira op cit.)      

“Moment and Duration” (Photo: Psychological Universe. http://www.selvuniverset.com/moments-and-duration/

From me to you, and from us to them, and to “a we.”

Most of us are not astronauts or astronauts to be. But with our very advanced brain we may be inspired by these photos, experiences and quotations from space travelers, to imagine and co-experience what these astronauts felt when they were out there.

My motivation for this website has many similarities with the international spaceship programs, – especially the perspective of the astronauts:  On a psychological level to motivate and inspire us to orbit our view of the social and physical life-preserving world around us.

Many young people have since I wrote this text, come to awareness of how important our climate and biodiversity is for life on this beautiful planet. They have been school striking and sitting down all over the world to underscore the necessity of immediate action to preserve our now highly vulnerable earth for the coming generations.

The project of Psychological Universe is so to say “launched” by an urge to move the perspective from ourselves, to the others, and from me to you, even from us to them, – experiencing the connectedness of everything in this world. This was also a conclusion that parts of modern physics anticipated in the late 50’ies and early 60’s!

Physicist Niels Bohr and his quantum mechanics took on a scientific basis distance from the notion of the universe as clearly divided, with distinctions between local and distant, you and me, spirit and matter. (see introductory page Psychological Universe, under heading “Where does Your Self start, and where does it stop?

Likewise: How I was born with you, me, and the others: (http://www.selvuniverset.com/2016/07/26/how-i-was-born-with-you-me-and-the-others/)

And:  “How do I become me?” http://www.selvuniverset.com/2016/07/25/how-do-i-become-me/

Connectedness from the biggest to the smallest parts. Here X Chromosomes. http://www.selvuniverset.com/hva-slags-nettside-er-dette/

2.

Psychological journeys orbiting our home world. ( don’t read it now, take a rest and breathe.)

Ferreira seem to encourage journeys that go beyond our home world. I agree, the precedeing text challenge us to do that. But as  psychologist I highly recommend an astronautical perspective on life on our family’s planet too! Orbiting our home world can be very fruitful.     

By monitoring ourselves as human beings in the world with other beings, we might discover that our differences are more culturally based than basic. We all seem to have the same longings for appreciation, love and acceptance, independent of the culture we live in. (http://www.selvuniverset.com/2016/12/14/true-eyes-love/)

Above all in the above mentioned perspective, we need to question our common view of ourselves and our fellow citizens. It might be a good start to begin with our closest “planetary system”, -our family, asking; “why do I feel, think and do that and that, when we are together?”

Is there a reason for me feeling sad, when we meet? Or what is it that make me so calm, at ease and happy when together with my own family, and not with my wife’s, husband’s or sweetheart’s family? Why do mother prefer my brother, and not me? Has this something to do with me, – who I am, and not the person mother is? Or has this mostly to do with my brother? All such questions might be relevant. Not only world’s climate is relevant! Our family climate is the psychological nourishment our well-being depends on.  Imagine if there were a relation between our capacity to preserve a good environment at home, and a good environment when it comes to climate on earth……………………………………………………………………………………

Psychological Universe urge us to question the origin of our typical feelings towards ourselves and each other. There is much to learn by questioning and exploring the ordinary view of ourselves and others.   (http://www.selvuniverset.com/2017/04/30/caught-in-a-frame/)  A most relevant question following this exploration is: Why do I perceive the world as I do,  and the people within it? Why do I act as I do, and justify my choices in life, as I do, – at least for myself?

And last: Can my view on life, by any chance,-  change, – and for what benefit or price? (http://www.selvuniverset.com/2016/09/23/humans-nature-good-well-treated/) Or am I lost in a fishbowl-like mind-set, with thoughts and acts swimming around like guppies in the same circles, again and again.. ….

Justified Fury

With justified rage and fury, the hard-hit students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland Florida, shoot back on NRA and politicians seeming to be trapped in the pocket of the American weapon lobby.

“Shooting back”

But they don’t use guns in their counter attacks. They use words, like the right to have a life, to feel safe, to have a future. They are fed up with “thoughts and prayers”, and business as usual just waiting for the next shooting. ( Now already eighteen of them in the US, since New Year 2018.)

Emma Gonzales, survivor and spokesman for the Students in Parkland.

The Constitution, the second amendment, and the Declaration of Independence.

The NRA and weapon lobbyists always refer to the Second Amendment when they argue against weapon control. (“The right of the people to keep and bear arms”) And to this argument on repeat the students fire back with a question about their own Constitutional rights as Americans. They refer to the Declaration of Independence of 1776, quoting: “ We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. ——“(Thomas Jefferson)

David Hogg. Survivor and spokesman for weapon control in the aftermath of the Parkland School Massacre.

For once it seems that they have managed to make a turning point by this rhetorical grip, a shift in attitude among the population, in media and by politicians, even some of them Republicans.

Guns don’t kill…..

“Guns don’t kill people ― people kill people!” This is an argument coming form both NRA and President Trump, who wants to arm teachers with rifles. But this argument has many flaws. AR-15 and other semi-automatic rifles, that by statistics are far the most used kind of weapons in school shootings, “are designed to kill multiple enemy combatants at once”. That means if he only had an ordinary gun, or a knife at hand, the result would be quite different.

Over: Marc Rubio, Republican senator criticized by Florida Student. Under: Trump wanting to arm teachers with rifles like AR-15(right)

The difference between a knife and a semi-automatic rifle, – is lives saved.

Michael Shammas, a writer an lawyer have looked into this fact. He refers to an incident in China, some few hours before the 2003 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting killed 28 persons, most of them children) Michael Shammas writes:

China: “A deranged man walked into a school and started indiscriminately stabbing everyone in his vicinity. Before his rampage ended, 22 children had been hit.”

 Knife attack in Chinese School, with  injured children but nobody killed.

US: “The child killer in Newtown, Connecticut killed 20 children and six adults before his rampage ended; by contrast, because the Chinese murderer used a knife, none of the 22 children he stabbed died. The distinguishing factor was gun control. Effective gun laws prevented the Chinese man from obtaining a gun—with which he would have inflicted much more damage.” (Huffpost 2017, 13 OCT).

Shot dead after the shooting massacre at Sandy Hook, Newtown,Conn.

Why knives or frying pans?

 And here is my somewhat provocative and weird argument, if I were a stand up comedian adressing myself and the audience to this tragic issue about weapon control: “Give the Americans the right to protect themselves, as in the second amendment. But give them at least knives, frying pans or saucepans instead. That would save extremely many young lives and give hope for a future for almost 15.000 people killed every year in the US.”

Will there come anything practical and lifesaving  out of these talks?

A pictorial representation of the lethal gradient when it comes to weapons and School massacres:

“Frying pans don’t kill people, -people kill people.” But the difference in lives between guns that don’t kill people and non-killing frying pans, is huge.

Statistics on murders and different kinds of  weapons:

(for Research and statitistics on murders, shootings and weapon control check: )http://www.selvuniverset.com/2016/06/14/protection-of-americans-by-private-weapon-arsenals-shoots-back-on-itself/