Mars One

Yesterday, my friend told me about Mars One. ��If you haven’t heard of it, it’s a non-profit project and its goal is to send the first humans to Mars in 2024. ��Hundreds of thousands have applied to be a part of this historic movement and they’re currently in the process of narrowing it down. ��Sounds interesting, right? ��A chance for civilians to go to space? ��To be the first people on Mars? ��Why not?

Well, it turns out there’s a catch. ��This is a one way flight. ��You go to Mars, you don’t come back. ��History will remember your name, but you are destined to die on Mars.

Let me say that I really admire the people who’ve signed up for this project. ��It’s an enormous sacrifice to make in the name of human exploration, curiosity, and adventure, which are all very noble causes. ��I honestly think we need more people like that. ��That being said, however, my butt is never leaving this planet.

I’d be terrified of going into space even if I was guaranteed to come back. ��I don’t like flying. ��I don’t like small spaces. ��And I really like Earth.

As a species, we humans really take our home planet for granted. ��It’s something I think most of us are aware of, but it’s not something we really take the time to think about. ��Maybe because we can’t imagine a world where trees and oceans and blue skies don’t exist. ��But these��individuals who are volunteering to live and die on Mars are about to experience just that.�� No plants. ��No oceans. ��No nature whatsoever. ��Furthermore, they will be saying goodbye to everyone they’ve ever loved. ��I don’t know about you, but I could not get by without a cat. ��Or my family and friends, you know, but I really need a cat.

A lot of us complain about our lives. ��That might just be part of the human condition. ��We’re never fully satisfied with what we have, even though we’ve actually been given a great deal. ��Earth is a great place to live. ��It was designed that way.

What’s funny is this whole Mars One conversation comes only a day after I was forced to explain to my friend why I don’t like sci-fi. ��At least, sci-fi set in outer space. ��If��The Hunger Games��is sci-fi, then I love that, but outer space sci-fi is just not my thing. ��For some reason, it makes me feel really uncomfortable. ��I think it’s due to a couple of things.

First of all, I’m scared of aliens. ��Ironically, I love alien invasion movies,��Signs, The Fourth Kind,��etc… But movies with aliens that walk around like humans and are supposed to be your friends? ��They creep me out and I don’t know why. ��I love the aliens that are actually supposed to freak you out. ��But the Yodas and the Wookies and the other friendly extra-terrestrial types? ��Eeeugh. ��I’m not a huge fan of robots either.

Secondly, I don’t like not being able to see the ground. ��I remember watching��Star Trek��and��Star Wars��and wondering,��What is holding these space buildings up? ��Where is the ground? ��Here’s the thing. ��If you fall off the edge of the building or the sidewalk, you die. ��Or you get sucked into outer space and then you die. I like planets. ��I like the ground. ��The ground is good.

So friends, this concludes my��Why Earth Is The Best Planet To Live On��talk. ��For the record, I really do love learning about the planets and the stars. ��I think they’re beautiful and magical and wonderful and full of new and exciting mysteries. ��However, I will��be appreciating them from Earth. ��It’s just where I belong.