With their spirit of exploration, widening their horizons, and breaking the safety limits, the explorers of old have turned a new page of history. How would the 21st century turn out without the Columbus of the new age who longed to explore space?
Throughout history, many people believed the Earth was flat, with heaven above and hell below, and every star and the Sun revolved around the Earth. Some astronomers back then thought the Earth was like a flat disk, while according to the Jewish Bible, it was like a dome. Meanwhile, ancient Chinese believed the Earth was square.
With this perception, many accepted their present life, roaming around their territory as their fear of the horizon grew. They were afraid that if they left their homeland, they would fall off the face of the Earth.
When Christopher Columbus’ crew sailed across the ocean in 1492, surely many thought he reached the horizon, instead, the great Italian navigator reached the Americas. Columbus’ trip also proved to the world that the Earth was round, and there was no such thing as the edge of the world.
Painting of Cristoforo Columbus arriving in America
Despite reaching America unintentionally, through mere coincidence, while looking for a sea route to Asia from the West, Columbus contributed to a turning point in the history of Europe and turning a new page in the history of America.
With unprecedented ambition and bottomless greed for exploration and conquest, Europeans back then set sail to distant, uncharted lands. An age of invading and exploring new land opened up for the powerful countries of Europe, such as Spain, Portugal, France, Britain…
Despite being in the Dark Ages, every difficulty Europe was facing at the time was solved thanks to the Age of Discovery. The growing population was no longer a concern, the exploitation of resources and minerals also contributed to a wealthy and prosperous Europe.
As we can see, after escaping the constraining mentality of “the Earth is flat”, or “you have to travel East to reach the East”, from 1492 to 1914, Europeans conquered 84% of the world, establishing colonies, expanding their influence to every inhabited continent, and becoming as powerful as they are now.
This is a historical story, and we are living in a time when the Earth is conceived as a sphere, imagining outer space beyond the Earth as something terrible, adventurous, and vague. We are also like the people in the 13th-14th centuries, living in the castles of Europe and thinking that the “horizon” is the end of the Earth.
We live clustered, contented to live with what we have at present. However, can the “cake” of the Earth expand when humans are increasingly accelerating the process of depleting its resources and energy? Will the prophecies of the end of the Earth come true and what will come after?
In the meantime, some people like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, or Branson,… have decided to look up at the sky and explore the opportunities for exploitation in the vast outer space beyond. Not only with rockets, the bold idea of a space elevator has also been nurtured by many scientists for a long time.
With the development of science and technology today, going to space using an elevator is completely possible.
With the development of science and technology today, it is entirely possible that humans will be able to enter space by elevator.
Imagine we have a system of cables leading straight into space. No need for rockets, with just a puss of a button, you can travel into space. It would not only significantly change how people leave Earth, but also change the relationship between humans and space.
And maybe, they – the people who carry the spirit of Columbus in the 21st century, will find a resource-rich “Asia, America, Africa” in space, just like the past explorers did.
Scientists and astronomers are continuing their ceaseless efforts to find life outside of Earth, through many different methods.
The latest example is at the end of 2022, when NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite telescope discovered a few planets with a set of smaller planets orbiting them, just like Earth. Notably, scientists believe they have conditions even more suitable for human life than Earth.
And, if there were “America, Africa, Asia” in space, would our history of “migrating” to new land repeat?
Research shows that humans are only using 10% of our brain’s potential. We cannot know what its maximum potential is, nor what we can do when we finally use our brain to its full potential. Compared to other living beings, humans have extraordinary powers.
We can float giant boats on the water, fly planes in the air, or launch ships to take humans into space. Humans have the creativity, skill, and potential to overcome any barrier.
However, many of us have chosen to draw a circle around our own existence and do everything inside this circle. This circle is called the “safety zone”.
When our fixed mindset gets us trapped in the fear of failure, a progressive mindset opens up our possibilities. The safety zone might be drawn from fear and hesitation, but it can also stem from personal satisfaction.
Life is just like riding a bike, you either keep moving forward, or you will fall the moment you stop. To step out of our safety zone, we need to acknowledge our ignorance and weaknesses, overcome our fear, and move forward.
You won’t find glory at the center of safety, but at its edge.
The historical stories about Columbus, or the people burning with a desire for exploring space in the 21st century all suggest to us a spirit of exploring, breaking the limits, and stepping out of our own safety zone.
Life has been and will always be changing, whether you are changing with it or not, that is a truth that cannot be denied. You don’t need to take a leap or achieve great things to step out of your safety zone, just small steps can help you improve and be the best version of yourself.
