EARTH-THE FADING PLANET......

So when did our earth start to fade away in the distance? The photograph of the tranquil earth against the black backdrop of space became the most influential pictures of all time. The blue marble rising over the lunar horizon sparked a stupendous sensation into the hearts of common people. For the first time in his history, we felt a responsibility towards our home planet. But where do we stand fifty years since the "Earthrise''?

 Earthrise (William Anders, 24th December,1968, Apollo 8 mission)

Earth is the only planet in the solar system that speaks of something called life. In appreciation of Her beauty men of antiquity made our planet the center of all creation. Sixty years of space exploration revealed us our dwarfish nature, our mere insignificance in the vast cosmic ocean. Our planet is no more than a point of light in a remote corner of one in a hundred billion galaxies swarming like fireflies on a lonely night.

Still from an environmental standpoint the future of our species is dwindling. The countless wars waged on our own kind, by none other than ourselves has left a scar on our earth's face. From the vantage point of 400,000 km on the lunar orbit, some extragalactic traveler could never ever procure the teensiest idea of our violent conquests. In our quest to establish superiority we destroyed the natural architecture created over the aeons of cosmic evolution. We filled the air with filth, rocked the elements by detonating thermonuclear bombs, rendered countless innocent lives homeless and accelerated towards a bleak future. The sea breeze lost its cool, the sunlight lost its golden hue, the oceans lost their signature blue, and somewhere along the line we lost our humanity.

From Space, Apollo 17

Now we stand on the brink of a cataclysmic collapse, on a sinking vessel in the unfathomable cosmic ocean. Carl Sagan once said, ''For all our failings, despite our limitations and fallibilities, we humans are capable of greatness...''. Nature adapted to the harm we brought upon her, and kept thriving in places rendered inhospitable by our foolish deeds. Nevertheless how dark our future may be, we have proved ourselves capable of looking up at the stars. It is we who dared to voyage to the distant planets and it'll be we who saved the planet from the collapse.

We are the guardians of our home. All we need is to sacrifice our acclaimed superiority, and embrace what's left of our planet. The environment can be saved, the biosphere can be brought to balance, the air can be made cleaner, water bluer, and lands greener. We could become compassionate and learn to honor our Mother Earth. And I believe She would always be there to wave her magic wand. The call is ours.....it has always been ours.......