The view from space: Why are there wars?

Those who have read my particular musings over the years on the Chicago Star’s website might know that I am not afraid to tackle topics of the seemingly most inane and inconsequential.

Past column examples have included topics such as the wonders of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich; why in the world anyone would go ice fishing; the fried chicken dinner at The House of Blues; the football “tush push”; which athlete would be a good candidate to be pope; an ode to pennies and nickels; gym shoes; Chicago Bulls 5-foot-7 Japanese guard Yuki Kawamura; and national chili cooking competition.

The ridiculous, if not the sublime, is not in any way out of my reach.

But, for a brief moment, I take an abrupt reversal, a quantum leap if you will, and enter into the surreal—a life-questioning and delicately philosophical question. “What is it all about?”

The thought came from the oft-heard comment from astronauts who have travelled into space. Most of them say the most impactful moment—and the one that stays with them the longest- is when they are in their space shuttle on the way into the stratosphere, and they look back and see the Earth.

There it is, floating in the vastness of the universe, this small, insignificant, round, rotating object, the one that we exist on.

Read more on Chicago Star

• Here are the best 15 songs of all time—without question! Disagree? Let us know

• Six Flags Great America celebrates 50 years of thrills this summer

• Loveable sci-fi epic, “Project Hail Mary,” scores an intergalactic touchdown

• The Cubs kick off a season of high hopes with home opener at Wrigley Field March 26

That is it. One small planet, a mass of however you want to describe it,  circulating through the emptiness of space. 

So, take a moment and do a little visualization. Imagine yourself, like those trained astronauts, up there looking back at the tiny, circular, blueish “thing” that is our planet, called Earth.

Kind of puts things in perspective, doesn’t it?

You might start to see our relative insignificance in the overall scheme of the entire atmosphere. One floating round mound with this thing on it called “human life.” 

How it came about is not the topic of this weird discourse, but instead, it is to emphasize that we are all on this tiny planet together. 

All of us, part of the same “team,” the same group, the same small population.

I could not help but think that if there is a higher “being” looking down (or up) at us, how silly and sad we must look, especially when we have so much hatred, fighting, killing, and conflict.

“From the same group”? “The same people on our planet”? All of us gathered together in this “tiny little rotating ball” amongst the vast universe?

One might ask, why all the vitriol? Why such anger from fellow “team” members?  Russia and Ukraine at war; Israel and Palestine, always; the war in Sudan; the gangs in Haiti; Hezbollah in Lebanon; the Houthis in Yemen; China threatening Taiwan; and whatever the United States is doing with Venezuela, Iran, Greenland, and more.

Add in the conflict between religions, different colors and races, immigrants, LGBTQ, and more, and what do you get?

Again, from the outside perspective:  Looking from their spaceship down at our planet, our singular planet, what must one think?

How silly, petty, and—dare I say—stupid we all must seem.

Here we are floating around in obscurity, but blessed with the treasure of human life.

And yet so much conflict.

One must wonder, is it that hard? 

Is it that hard for all of us, all of us here on Earth, to somehow find a way to protect and respect each other, just as if we are teammates (which we are)?