"…it’s a substitute for war. Everything we’re doing in the world today has to do with destruction and..."

“…it’s a substitute for war. Everything we’re doing in the world today has to do with destruction and death and murder and war, and we need something to make us all feel better, and that’s space travel.”

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Ray Bradbury, speaking about the purpose of manned space exploration in a 2003 interview following the launch of the Spirit and Opportunity rovers to Mars.

The full interview, which you can hear in the video below from Brain Pickings, is a bit of a pessimistic take on things, but his call for inspirational change in our schools and culture is a good one. Either way, his interview is a wonderful mediation on optimism vs. pessimism and the human drive to discover new things and (hopefully) be better than we were yesterday.

What do you think, have things improved since 2003? Would Ray be happy with us?

Source: Ray Bradbury on space exploration, education, and legacy from Maria Popova on Vimeo

Recommended: Peter Diamandis’ TED Talk on Abundance, to which he published a book by the same title, 'Abundance: Why The Future Is Better Than You Think’

Need more convincing? Browse my archive of Peter Diamandis posts.

(via sagansense)