The Martian

by Andy Weir

I suppose I’ll think of something. Or die.

Duct tape is magic and should be worshiped.

I’ve been thinking about laws on Mars. Yeah, I know, it’s a stupid thing to think about, but I have a lot of free time. There’s an international treaty saying no country can lay claim to anything that’s not on Earth. And by another treaty, if you’re not in any country’s territory, maritime law applies. So Mars is “international waters.” NASA is an American nonmilitary organization, and it owns the Hab. So while I’m in the Hab, American law applies. As soon as I step outside, I’m in international waters. Then when I get in the rover, I’m back to American law. Here’s the cool part: I will eventually go to Schiaparelli and commandeer the Ares 4 lander. Nobody explicitly gave me permission to do this, and they can’t until I’m aboard Ares 4 and operating the comm system. After I board Ares 4, before talking to NASA, I will take control of a craft in international waters without permission. That makes me a pirate! A space pirate!

I can see it now: me holding a map, scratching my head, trying to figure out how I ended up on Venus.

But really, they did it because every human being has a basic instinct to help each other out. It might not seem that way sometimes, but it’s true.

1/4... see 4/4

This is so fundamentally human that it’s found in every culture without exception.

Yes, there are

3/4... see 4/4

who just don’t care, but they’re massively outnumbered by...

4/4... I love this. I compare this message with what I see in the world when natural disasters occur, and contrast it with the conclusion the author of The Lord of the Flies makes. IMO, this much more accurately depicts human nature.