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In Light-Years There's No Hurry review: Embracing a cosmic perspective

A charming, challenging book argues that we can improve our well-being by tapping into the spiritually transforming "overview effect" that astronauts report after seeing earth from space

26 July 2023

Full length photo of astronaut in space suit and helmet on Mars walking away from the camera towards a dust storm in the distance, red orange all around — Going on a “space journey” on Earth could calm worries and improve well‑being
Nisian Hughes/Stone rf/Getty

Marjolijn van Heemstra (translated by Jonathan Reeder)
(W. W. Norton)

AMONG the many reasons to rail against the tech elites is their desire to place themselves in a cosmic context. In 2018, Elon Musk tweeted “we must preserve the light of consciousness by becoming a spacefaring civilization and extending life to other planets”. He has only doubled down since then.

But what if a cosmological perspective wasn’t just a backdrop for the arrogance (maybe hubris) of space moguls? …

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