The Search for Life in the Universe: Europa, Titan, and Enceladus

     Throughout the history of humankind, a seemingly-inherent penchant for exploration, coupled with various climatic events, has driven the proliferation of the human species across planet Earth. Whether nomadic bands of hunter-gatherers were searching for newer, more abundant sources of food, or simply exploring for its own sake, homo sapiens successfully populated the Earth through a journey that began thousands of years ago in south-central Africa and took several dozen centuries. But, even with all that humankind has accomplished, and with all the introspective and extrospective information accumulated in the past four centuries alone, there is much left to explore both on the surface and in the oceans of this majestic world. Moreover, there is an entire universe out there—unimaginably vast and just waiting to be discovered. But, humans tend to get easily distracted by both forms of intergovernmental conflict (within and between governments), wars, manufactured controversy, and a host of other trivialities, ultimately veering the species off that road to cosmic discovery. Nevertheless, space programs the world over have managed to send spacecraft on trajectories that have taken them from precariously close to the Sun1 to beyond the heliosphere of the solar system2. Several rovers have successfully descended through the Martian atmosphere34 and one on Saturn’s moon Titan5; an orbiter/lander package was even sent to an asteroid6! And, while all of this exploration has been done in the hopes of gaining a deeper understanding of how life arose on Earth and whether or not it happened elsewhere in the cosmos, an extraordinary wealth of knowledge has been amassed regarding the physical and chemical properties of the cosmos itself. But, before drawing the lines of evidence for otherworldly life in this solar system, a few questions should first be answered: What is life? Are there certain elements that are considered crucial for life? How common are these ingredients? And, what processes exist on Earth have been identified as possible catalysts for the transition from inorganic to organic molecules?

A Definition of Life

     For many centuries, philosophers the world over struggled to explain this experience called ‘life’. The elements that formed everything around were simple: earth, water, air, and fire. Life itself was viewed as something rather peculiar—especially human life. And somehow humans were supposed to strive for the good life, as Aristotle put it in his Nicomachean Ethics.7 In retrospect, however, something always seemed to be missing from these arguments: hard evidence. Thought experiments can take one but so far; it is only when unbiased physical, chemical, and biological experiments bear out the facts of reality through the accumulation of evidence that such claims should be accepted. And even then, uncertainties should always be taken into account. Perhaps this perspective seems obvious in the highly technical, information- driven world of today but it certainly wasn’t always the case. The concepts of innocent until proven guilty and evidence-based reasoning are relatively new in human history. Before the Renaissance began sometime in the 14th century, people largely took things at face value with very little thought—burning ‘witches’ alive and massacring countless ‘others’ that dared to question any form of assumed, typically divine, authority. In fact, life seemed to be defined in terms of that authority: God > kings > other humans > animals > everything else in the universe. But, this geocentric, authoritative perspective left much to be desired. Observations began to contradict doctrine which eventually led to a revolution in thinking. Life, it turned out, wasn’t so simply defined.

     Although the debate rages on today, at least in philosophical circles, biologists and chemists have in recent years joined it in an effort to standardize the definition of life. Among the many that have been posited over the decades, the definition that perhaps best encompasses humankind’s present understanding was proffered by Gerald F. Joyce in the 1990s and then included in an anthology released in 2008 called Extraterrestrials: Where are They?: “In a very broad sense, living organisms turn food into offspring. They metabolize food and use the energy derived from the food to produce offspring, that is, to produce more life. Among biologists and biochemists a working definition of ‘life’ is: ‘a self-sustained chemical system capable of undergoing Darwinian evolution’.”8 Objections to this definition remain but it suffices for the purpose of this essay.

Follow the Water

     Perhaps the most essential substance in which countless reactions can take place is water in its liquid form. Known as ‘the universal solvent’ for its ability to dissolve an array of other substances, water is a polar molecule with a negatively charged oxygen atom opposite two positively charged hydrogen atoms that are spaced 104.5° apart. This arrangement makes it “sticky”, a characteristic ultimately derived from electromagnetic forces; it also means that water is capable of conducting electricity when salts are dissolved in it. These properties prove essential in the synthesis of other molecules that could lead to self-sustaining chemical systems. Thus, the catchphrase for finding life throughout the astrobiology and space exploration community has unsurprisingly become “follow the water”.9 Since Earth harbors life everywhere liquid water exists, then a reasonable supposition would be that where there is water, there is life.

SPONCH for Life

     The chemical systems that eventually gave rise to biological entities here on Earth can be described by the acronym SPONCH. Sulfur, phosphorus, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and hydrogen are the key elements to life on Earth, and, considering the relative abundances of these elements throughout the universe, presumably life elsewhere. So, if a search for life in the universe is to remain as objective as possible, a focus on these six elements and the many molecules that can be made from them, as well as environments with temperatures and pressures conducive to biological processes, can be considered reasonably unbiased. Carbon, the most chemically active element on the periodic table, is the basis for millions of molecules and its ability to readily form strong, stable bonds (even with other carbon atoms and some metals) makes it the most logical choice for a molecule long-lived enough to build self-sustaining, evolving systems. Silicon is chemically similar to carbon and has also been considered as a possible basis for life; however, its weaker bonds and completely different oxidation product—the solid silicon dioxide (SiO2)— present problems with known biological processes. For example, can the polymers formed by silicon remain stable in varying environments and for long enough to become biologically active? How would the mechanism by which this solid waste product is readily removed function? And, what kinds of silicon compounds could be used as energy sources? Of course, this line of questioning could likely continue ad infinitum, but it is clear that in the prebiotic race toward ‘self-sustaining chemical systems’, carbon is the winner.

     Organic molecules are divided into large (lipid collections, carbohydrates, proteins, and nucleic acids) and small (fatty acids, sugars, amino acids, and nucleotides) varieties that perform a number of important functions in living systems. Combining these organic molecules through a process involving the loss of water is called polymerization and allows such ‘macromolecules’ to form. Both lipids, such as fats and oils, and carbohydrates called polysaccharides store energy while proteins perform a range of tasks. Nucleic acids, composed of smaller building blocks called nucleotides, are essentially the replication factories of biological molecules; deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) being two of the most important (Rothery, Gilmour, Sephton 2011). But, in order for living systems to perform the myriad functions necessary to subsist and for evolutionary processes to proceed, lipids and proteins form membranes within carbohydrate/amino acid ‘shells’ that maintain stable environments. Thus, it can be stated with reasonable confidence that these cells are what can be considered life. And some of the places thought to have been possible crucibles for certain forms of life are at the bottom of the ocean floor near geothermal vents called black smokers that eject superheated mixtures of water and mostly sulfides while providing an immediate environment capable of sustaining certain forms of so-called extremophiles. So, having arrived at a reasonable definition of life (of course, several details were glossed over and many others were not mentioned, such as chirality, the RNA world, panspermia, the top-down and bottom-up approaches, and the details of boundary layers), some of the most promising possible environments for its existence elsewhere in the solar system can now be examined: Jupiter’s moon Europa and Saturn’s moons Enceladus and Titan.

To the Moons of Jupiter

At 5.2 AU, Jupiter is more than five times the distance from the Sun to the Earth and gets around 25 times less solar irradiance than here on Earth. The magnetic field of this gas giant is more than 20,000 times that of Earth, making life a much more difficult prospect on the surfaces of bodies orbiting close to the planet. Dozens of moons are in orbit around the Jovian world but only the inner Galilean moons—specifically Europa—are of present interest in this search for life. Io, Europa, and Ganymede are in a 4:2:1 orbital resonance, which keeps their orbits eccentric, while Callisto has an orbital period of just under 17 days with no resonance. (Orbital resonances tend to cause tidal heating as these satellites make their way around their orbits. Moons that are mostly rocky become geologically active when presented with the stresses of tidal forces.) In fact, Io is the most geologically active body in the entire solar system with many confirmed volcanoes currently erupting. But, in cases where moons have rocky cores surrounded by thick layers of ice, the rock-ice interface presents a situation where the tidal heating causes at least some of the ice to melt and form either a localized or a global ocean. Since the surface temperature of Europa ranges from around -160 degrees Celsius at the equator to less than -220 degrees Celsius at the poles, no known life can exist there. However, if the situation is similar to that of at least portions of the Earth’s oceans, black smokers could also exist in the subsurface ocean of Europa— confirmed by the Galileo spacecraft10—providing a possible energy source on which extremophiles of some sort might thrive. Plumes ejecting material from the surface have been observed by the Hubble Space Telescope:

"The perspective that plumes on Europa are fed by a subsurface ocean offers an opportunity to study the ocean composition and investigate its habitability. Europa is widely considered one of the likeliest candidate bodies in our solar system able to support biological activity [Shapiro and Schulze-Makuch, 2009]. Due to the association of liquid water with life, biological activity would most likely be found in an ocean beneath Europa’s ice crust. The plumes offer a unique chance to directly sample subsurface material in situ from space. (Southworth, Kempf, and Schmidt, 2005)"

     The Galileo mission delivered some of the most spectacular images of Jupiter and, related specifically to this discussion, of Europa. These data revealed a moon made of water ice and silicate rock with a tenuous atmosphere of mainly oxygen and a likely iron-nickel core that, through tidal heating, is responsible for the situation of either warm ice or liquid water beneath the icy, mostly crater-free surface. Features resembling icebergs and tilted blocks on Earth are visible while a so-called “brown gunk” covers much of the crust, possibly the result of radiolysis of salts—a reasonable guess considering the thin oxygen atmosphere is almost certainly produced by the radiolysis of water. Some sort of process similar to tectonics exists on Europa, as evidenced by the stretched and cracked surface:

Figure 1: An enhanced true color image of the surface of Europa from the Galileo spacecraft. (NASA11) Despite the cracking and other tidal distortions responsible for the observed plumes, Europa surprisingly boasts one of the smoothest surfaces in the solar system. It is estimated that the icy crust is only about 10 to 15 miles thick.

     A future mission with multiple flybys and perhaps several passes through the plumes themselves to collect particles for analysis could further confirm the existence of biogenic material. However, any spacecraft that orbits Jupiter must be overbuilt to some degree in order to withstand the effects of such a massive magnetic field. While electromagnetic shielding is certainly required, one failure of any component of such shielding could spell disaster for missions costing billions of dollars. And such an unfortunate event would mean that it would be several years—perhaps 10 or more—before another mission (assuming approval) could be at the Jovian system for similar investigations. Thus far, Pioneer 11 and 12, Voyager 1 and 2, Cassini- Huygens, and the Galileo missions have visited or flown past Jupiter giving us new perspectives and new insights each time as successive spacecraft were equipped with better instrumentation. NASA’s proposed Europa Clipper Mission is supposed to launch sometime in the 2020s and is host to a suite of scientific instrumentation focused on studying this possible abode for life12, including an ice-penetrating radar to accurately determine the thickness of Europa’s crust.13 Landing a rover on the surface of Europa would be a herculean undertaking filled with serious risks involving electromagnetic shielding and choosing the proper landing location. However, it is well within the realm of possibilities given the current state of technology. And, finding life anywhere outside of Earth would perhaps be the most important human discovery of all time. So, the possible reward seems to far outweigh the risks involved in such an important mission. Other possibilities where life might have developed separately are Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus and its large moon Titan.

The Jewel of the Solar System

Figure 2: The first colored image from the

Huygens lander of the surface of Titan. The

Cobbles are water ice. (NASA - Dr. David R.

Williams.)

On October 15th, 1997, the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force station in Florida with the goal of studying the Saturnian system. A collaborative mission between the European Space Agency, the Italian Space Agency, and NASA, the spacecraft reached Saturn June 30th, 2004.14 The Cassini orbiter and Huygens lander were both successful; the former having now delivered nearly 20 years’ worth of data; so much that it is still being analyzed over a year after making its dramatic “Grand Finale” plunge into Saturn to avoid contaminating any moons that might harbor life. The Huygens lander was delivered to the moon Titan—the second largest moon in the solar system—and successfully landed January 14th, 2005.15 Through radar imaging, Titan showed signs of prebiotic chemistry, cryovolcanism, impact cratering, and dune field formation. Among the most fascinating discoveries have been the presence of methane lakes and that methane functions similarly to the way water functions on Earth in the hydrologic cycle; there might even be an underground ocean of liquid water with hydrothermal vents. The atmosphere is composed of nitrogen (about 96%), methane, and ethane, and has a pressure of 1.5 bar at the surface, similar to that on the surface of Earth. As well, Titan has a thick photochemical smog layer in the upper-middle part of the atmosphere. In short, all of ingredients necessary for life exist on Titan.16 Extending far beyond its original mission, the Cassini orbiter has provided some of the most spectacular images ever taken of another planetary body. It is no wonder that Saturn is known as The Jewel of the Solar System:

Figure 2: January 19, 2013 - This is a composite of images taken through red, green, and blue filters that shows the F, G, and E rings from around 753,000 miles from Saturn. The pale blue dot of Earth is shown toward the lower right of the image indicated by the white arrow. (PIA17171; Published July 22, 2013.)17

At around 300 miles across, the small, icy moon Enceladus is about the size of Colorado and has been identified as a second possibility for life, due to the likely existence of a subsurface ocean. By 2008, a set of geologic features dubbed tiger stripes were identified in the southern hemisphere. These so-called tiger stripes are at least 100 degrees Celsius warmer than the surrounding surface, indicating some type of geologic heating (likely tidal). In December of 2011, a series of high resolution images were taken of Enceladus. But, one of the most breathtaking views of this Saturnian satellite was taken over a year before on November 30th, 2010 and clearly shows geysers erupting from the surface:

Figure 3: Taken with the narrow-angle camera, this Cassini image across Enceladus’ south pole shows a series of geysers erupting. The Cassini orbiter eventually flew through these plumes to analyze their composition, identifying organic compounds, volatile gases, water vapor, silica, CO, CO2, and salts.1819 A few theories have attempted to model these geysers and are detailed by Southworth, Kempf, and Schmidt (2015) in a paper regarding both Europa and Enceladus.20

Future missions to the Saturnian system would likely put significant focus on this small but promising world. Investigations of a next-generation orbiter could include a dust collector for proper analysis of plume ejecta—responsible for Saturn’s E ring—and several high-resolution imaging systems across the range of spectra. A lander would make exploration of the surface and possible subsurface ocean much more fruitful in its returns since only so much can be learned from orbit. However, finding a landing site free from debris or giant, spikey ridges will doubtless be extremely challenging. It might require including instrumentation to analyze imaging data in real-time and then choosing a landing site. Next, the challenge of driving a rover on a moon that is almost 750 million miles from Earth would perhaps be just as exciting as successfully landing one there. But, the insight gained from such an endeavor would certainly prove invaluable—a mission well worth the financial undertaking. For example, a seismometer can be utilized to determine the internal structure as the moon is stressed under tidal forces, possibly answering the question of the source of Enceladus’ geysers definitively. And the rover could drill into the icy surface or release a tethered, shielded piece of radioactive material onto it to melt through; perhaps to eventually reach an underground ocean and explore via a tethered submersible. The possibilities are only limited by the resources involved in conducting such missions.

A Brief Comparison of Europa and Enceladus

     With all that has been discovered about each of these moons, Europa and Enceladus present very different challenges that must be taken into account—especially if a budgeting issue forces a decision for one mission over the other. Jupiter is closer and Europa has been officially considered the most likely place in the solar system for life, but Jupiter’s huge magnetic field presents a significant engineering problem for probes and rovers moving through it. Saturn is almost twice the distance of Jupiter so it receives far less solar radiation but has a much smaller magnetic field requiring far less shielding, as evidenced by the Cassini-Huygens mission. Europa is also around six times the diameter and has an escape velocity nine times that of Enceladus. So, it is clear that many factors must be considered in a massive cost-benefit analysis if such a choice must be made.

Final Thoughts

     In any case, one thing is certain: In the search for life in the universe, a return to both Europa and Enceladus is necessary, while a return to Titan would likely prove useful. It is absolutely amazing what has been accomplished by the space program in the United States considering the budget constraints over the past 50 years. To put it into perspective, the proposed defense budget for FY2018 was around $640-billion21 while NASA’s proposed budget for the same fiscal year sits at just over $19-billion22. It appears plenty of funding exists to drop bombs on people around the world that are different but the coffers apparently come up short when budgeting for planetary exploration that could prove just how similar humans are at a fundamental level. But, with the advent of the privatization of space, perhaps in just a few years some of the companies that have established themselves in the past decade or so, such as SpaceX and Blue Origin, will see the value in such exploration and aim for these possible abodes for life. There is no doubt that such a discovery will be considered the greatest achievement of humankind: It would mean we definitely are not alone. From there it is easy to follow the lines of logic to begin asking questions about intelligence. With thousands of exoplanets already confirmed, and an entire universe presumably filled with innumerable others, the likelihood of intelligent life existing elsewhere in the cosmos might just be inevitable.

Resources

Aristotle. (2009). The Nichomachean Ethics (D. Ross, Trans.). London: Oxford University Press.

         Diamond, J. M. (1999). Guns, germs, and steel: The fates of human societies. New York: W.W.           Norton & Company.
Joyce, Gerald F. (1993), The RNA World: Life before DNA and Protein, Website,                                         https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19980211165.pdf.

Rothery, D. A., Gilmour, I., Sephton, M. A., & Anand, M. (2011). An Introduction to Astrobiology.             Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Southworth, B. S., S. Kempf, and J. Schmidt (2015), Modeling Europa’s dust plumes, Geophys. Res.           Lett.,42, 10,541–10,548, doi:10.1002/2015GL066502
Shapiro, R., and D. Schulze-Makuch (2009), The search for alien life in our solar system: Strategies             and priorities, Astrobiology, 9, 335-343, doi: 10.1089/ast.2008.0281.

Zuckerman, B., & Hart, M. H. (Eds.). (2008). Extraterrestrials: Where are they? Cambridge:                       Cambridge University Press.

Web, Online Journal, and Other Sources

1. http://parkersolarprobe.jhuapl.edu/
   
2. https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/status/
   
3. https://mars.nasa.gov/mer/home/
   

      4. https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/

5. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/cassini/overview/
   
6. http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/
   
7. http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.html
   
8. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19980211165.pdf
   
9. https://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/everydaylife/jamestown-water-fs.html
   
10. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/galileo/overview/
    
11. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19048
    
12. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/moons/jupiter-moons/europa/in-depth/
    
13. https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/europa-clipper/
    
14. https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/cassini-huygens/
    
15. https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/titan_images.html
    
16. Notes from ASTR2040, Fall 2016.
    
17. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/resources/15868/the-day-the-earth-smiled-sneak-
    preview-annotated/
    
18. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/13020/the-moon-with-the-plume/
    
19. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/resources/16074/encroaching-shadow/
    
20. https://agupubs-onlinelibrary-wiley-
    com.colorado.idm.oclc.org/doi/epdf/10.1002/2015GL066502
    
21. https://csbaonline.org/research/publications/senator-mccain-and-outlining-the-fy18-
    defense-budget
    
22. https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/fy_2018_budget_estimates.pdf
    

Measuring the HEIT of Humankind

     I am quite sure most of you have heard the whole 'war=peace' spiel before. For the record, my country is Earth—and so is yours. And, the true heroes are those who find ways to bridge the differences between people and nations; not those who kill for any rationalization you would like to propose.
     Let me ask you something: Have you ever thought about the statement when someone says, "War is necessary to maintain...peace"? Being diametrical opposites, it may be tempting to equate this relationship with that of a concept such as magnetism. Based on scientific observation, no monopole has yet been discovered anywhere in the Universe from our relatively miniscule geocentric perspective. Insofar as we currently understand Laws of physics, a magnet will always have what we refer to as a North and South magnetic pole; even if a magnet is broken in half.
     Similarly, no peace has ever been observed without war as a referential example; and vice versa. Thus, peace=war, and war=peace; whether or not a nation is divided or United is irrelevant. However, to prove this assumed parallel erroneous, as it most assuredly is, let us examine the ideas in such an argument further:

     Considering the fact that Education becomes the cornerstone of global society in the particular Federation I have outlined, we can irrefutably take into account the outcome of an unconditional (meaning money-free) Education contributing to a global understanding of carrying-capacity through an unprecedented, global resource evaluation; again, money-free. This evaluation, which has yet to be conducted, will give us the most definitive answer to the question of carrying-capacity we have ever attempted to calculate. Only then will we be able to state whether or not that carrying-capacity has not yet been reached, has been reached, or has been exceeded. Until then, all that I can say is this: Doubtless, with the intelligent application of Technology and global sharing of evaluated resources, it is quite possible for the Human population to stretch into the tens of billions and coexist in a symbiotic relationship with the environment which sustains us as well as all other life on Earth.
     Such a society would abandon the fallacious, exploitative, destructive means of war and find a better way to the end of interdependent development WITH the environment; not in spite of the environment. Perhaps this is what can be equated to an idea of genuine “peace.” If so, then peace definitely does not equal war. It becomes apparent that the terms peace and war are simply in a linguistic relationship as such; not necessarily in a real-world application as such. For, ALL language is subject to interpretation. Our interpretation of war is relative to our interpretation of peace; and our interpretation of peace is relative to that interpretation of war; so on and so forth.
     In English, it is similar to asking, “What came first, the chicken or the egg?” and focusing solely on the idea of a chicken or the idea of an egg elucidated by our ever-evolving, modern English lexicon; ignoring in whole the fact that the terms “chicken” and “egg” have no meaning to any person with no understanding of the English language. It is partly why some cannot think of one of these ideas without the other and complacently claim each as equals; or, at the very least, equally necessary. This particular mindset boasts of what is falsely perpetuated as an inescapable direct proportion of one idea to the other. Again, this is simply conceptually represented through linguistic composition, and is not necessarily real-world applicable.
     If one truly thinks about this situation objectively, without an observational guide, such as an actual chicken in this particular illustration, communication through words is but the result of extremely sophisticated evolutionary features, Human vocal chords, being coordinated by what is perhaps the most sophisticated evolutionary feature on Earth—the Human brain.
     Back to the language experiment: Let us now substitute peace and war in an attempt to form an analogous interpretation ourselves. We should also keep good and evil in mind as well, since these two terms seem to be linked to the former two terms, respectively:
     In English, it is similar to asking, “What came first, war or peace?” and focusing solely on the idea of war or the idea of peace. Again, both are subject to and have relative interpretations as well as no meaning to any person without understanding of the language spoken. And, of course, language undergoes perpetual evolution; most cannot think of one without the other; claim each as equals, or equally necessary; and then cease the pursuit of intellectual stimuli that could potentially support or disprove such underdeveloped claims. The resultant ignorant interpretation is then transmitted by unread people through social networks, like this one, to other people that thrive on propaganda, drama, and fake or edited news spun by corporate conglomerate media outlets.
   Again, without an observational guide, such as an actual war, communicating interpretations of these terms is but the result of sophisticated evolutionary features being coordinated by a much more sophisticated evolutionary feature. This time, however, the Human brain is coordinating a perpetuation of potentially hazardous ideas which fundamentally mainspring resentment towards others—religions, governments, and money.
     It is called SOCIAL CONDITIONING; and we all are subject to it. Those of us that do a little critical thinking will come to the more appropriate conclusion, despite this conditioning: If we are collectively misinterpreting these ideas of peace and war, or good and evil, to the point that we believe one cannot exist without the other, and essentially use this rationalization to find justification for war, then it becomes necessary to redesign global society entirely. When we shift focus from money to the cynosure of intellectual and technological equilibrium and sustainability, the idea of living in a synergetic relationship with each other and the environment manifests by measuring the HEIT (Human-Environmental Interdependent Trade) of our collective existence. Allow me to explain:
     For millennia, Humans have found solace in the systematic trade of scarce resources in order to form a comparative advantage which can be used as an influential means to potentially exploitative, economically powerful, yet intrinsically destructive ends. Scarcity, whether actual or pretended, has been the prime factor in the consideration of “value” being placed on objects or resources for the largest portion of Human history. Demand is in a linguistically proportional relationship with supply. Scarcity inevitably dictates that supply in that there must INITIALLY be a known desirable commodity, scarce or abundant, to be demanded. Therefore, scarcity ultimately establishes “value.” Technological advancements have proven, however, that scarcity is no longer a viable option for such consideration. An example is hydroponic agriculture.
     From bartering, to coining money, to the present-day printing of paper/fabric money with colorful ink and misunderstood symbols, we seem to have been continuously running like mice on the outside of a giant ball that used to be thought of as flat. Admittedly, it is only to Human ingenuity in an attempt to enhance the Human standard of living that Humankind can attribute the current understandings of the Laws of the Universe, which obviously encompass those “natural” Laws here on Earth. Dollar signs were not flashing in Einstein’s eyes when he discovered the powerhouse of energy pent up inside the nuclei of atoms. No doubt, his vision was unlimited, costless energy for all of Humankind; not vaporization of other Humans for militaristic advantages. Money did not switch the proverbial light on over Edison’s head. He utilized Maxwell’s equations to bring light to people all around the globe; not to hoard this innovation for his home alone while the rest of the world sat alone in the dark. Exemplifications are nearly endless.
     All of the electronic gadgets—televisions, batteries, cameras, computers, cell-phones with all of the above plus internet—which so many take for granted on a minute-to-minute basis can be ascribed to exponential innovation, not money. Sure, money may be one particular driving factor for businesses to strive for improvement, which may or may not, in some indirect way, lead to technological advancements; however, a pile of cash, or bits of information somehow being given “value” from nothing, WILL NOT and CAN NOT tell one how to utilize the experimentally verifiable Laws which govern Electromagnetism here on Earth.
     A businessperson is scarcely familiar with laws of physics; if at all. Nor does a businessperson diverge from the path of profit by any means necessary. Likewise, political “leaders” are just as ignorant and show blatant disregard for the environment to see economically advantageous policies implemented which are influenced financially by businesspeople. So, where is the sensibility in allowing those with no understanding of technology to appropriate the application of technology for self-interested aggrandizement at the expense of the majority of global Human population and the environment? This virtually uncontested complacence can no longer continue if we are to provide a remarkably feasible, globally United, beneficial future for our Posterity—GLOBAL POSTERITY. It becomes evident just how nearly impossible it is for Humankind to be sustainable if mass-ignorance is maintained by multi-national corporate conglomerations spoon-feeding the public scripted news and propaganda through news-media outlets run by their inescapably greedy “representatives.”
     The current system of economic trade is undeniably situated on the foundation of the monetary system, upheld by other “representatives” placed in charge of the World Bank and the IMF—both based in Washington, DC. Global Trade is so interlocked with the fractional reserve banking system that it is confirmable as valid to say the entire Human population of Earth is in debt to this system, because of this system. The twisted part is that no one seems to notice; and those that notice either don’t care, or are bankers. The primary focus has been and continues to be “what’s in it for me?” But, shouldn’t we be asking, “What’s in it for ALL OF US—Environment included?” For, the only REAL trade takes place between Humans and the environment which sustains us and all other living things on Earth. And, for nearly two centuries, we have not been trading fairly at all.
     To maintain stable conditions, which allow sustainable living for Humankind and the environment, we must maintain a balance or equilibrium in our trade. The Human-Environmental Interdependent Trade begins when we peer beyond oppressive means, exploitation, pretended scarcity and rationalization for war, in an attempt to discover a better way. The HEIT of our existence is paramount to understanding how best to accommodate, and perhaps produce massive surpluses of energy, resources and sustenance for, EVERY PERSON ON EARTH. To deem it impossible with no global resource-evaluation is absent-minded and serves only those self-interested persons in economic hegemony. How about we try something new—a GLOBAL economy based on RESOURCES? The transitional phase could take place simultaneously with the global resource evaluation mentioned earlier.
     In order to achieve new HEITs, abolishment of the inherently corrupt monetary system means we become capable of unconditionally forging an unprecedented foundation upon which a future of nearly limitless, global intellectual and technological equilibrium can be built. Sound impossible? If so, then why? Because pretended scarcity has conditioned us to believe that money is a resource or a necessity? Well, IT IS NOT! Is it because it sounds like scary-Mary socialism? IT’S NOT! This is an entirely new concept that has NEVER been attempted. Let me ask you, do you know anything comparative about current understandings of capitalism, socialism, fascism, communism, “any-ism”, free trade, or any other economic system at all? How about multinational corporations, profiteering, the Wall Street gambling institutions, the World Bank, IMF, government manipulation by economic Hit men, exploitation, monopolies, etcetera? Or is what you know simply opinion or hear-say?
     Here’s a fact: The latest trend, especially for the United States, has been for the CIA to send into resource-abundant countries economic hit men with multi-million dollar bribes for political leaders. If the foreign leaders decline, Jackals are sent in for an assassination attempt and to aid in a coup. The last resort, if the hit men and Jackals fail, is to send in the military. Jaime Roldos in Ecuador; Omar Torrijos in Panama; and Suddam Hussein in Iraq are just a few of the many examples. Even if you do know some things about the abovementioned topics, have you ever asked yourself whether there may be a better way? Socialism, capitalism, free trade, businesses, governments, etc., are ALL based on money. As a result, ALL are fundamentally corrupt as well. When this understanding becomes globally understood, doubtless, Humankind will seek a better way. Despite what some may believe or speculate, in an economy based on global resource-sharing, with money no longer in existence, individuality would soar into entirely new realms Humankind has never before witnessed through the intelligent application of technology. Utilizing the scientific method to solve social and environmental problems is part of a concept designed by social engineer Jacque Fresco. Sociocyberneering is perhaps the premier proposal to ensure the most beneficial future for every single person on Earth.
    Again, when Education becomes paramount, a reasonable outlook provides us with a vision of practically ALL other issues eventually aligning on a path to resolve in the most logical, beneficial manner centered on global Unity and sustainability. Knowledge is not property at all; public nor private. Knowledge is not a physical object upon which a price tag can be stamped or an individuals’ name can be carved to declare possession. Nay; knowledge is that which is intangible, yet exists as everything that is. Knowledge is not the things we observe; it is the IDEAS we form and accept from observations and interpretations of phenomena that occur in every-day life. Knowledge is for ALL OF US to discover. Education, acknowledged as a global, life-long learning experience, teaches us all personal as well as social responsibilities and of the consequences that potentially could result from our individual or collective actions (such as population growth).
     So, with a global comprehension of Earth’s evaluated carrying-capacity, perhaps the population really will double. But, if one is willing to present us with a slippery-slope situation like, “the sad thing about exponential growth is that it will likely kill most of us in the end,” that person has to actually take us down the slippery-slope. Otherwise, these are just hollow words sung by an ignorant fool. Furthermore, if one considers a statement such as “It has become clear to me, through a more objective perspective, that death is necessary” truly objective, this turns out to be quite subjective in content. Think about the context in which this statement is framed—This is not objective at all. Rather, this is an opinion and represents a simple misunderstanding of what objectivity is. To be truly objective, one would ask, “Does death, being what is currently understood as an inescapable consequence of Human life, facilitate in any interpretation whatever, an implication of justifiable necessity for war in what has the potential to be a GLOBAL, intellectually and technologically advanced society absent war altogether?” Wrap your underused brain around that.
     Please refrain from attempting to base any point of your sad argument on misconstrued, scientific concepts. It is quite obvious when one knows nothing of astronomy, physics, or any other science for that matter. How do I know? Physics is my major. Now, “floating” implies an object conforming to the Laws which govern gravity-influenced fluidity and pressure here on Earth—Archimedes’ principle, Bernoulli’s principle, the Venturi Effect, etc. If a person knows anything of the Cosmos, that person would know that on average there are only a few (perhaps ten) atoms of Hydrogen per cubic meter in space. Objects follow Newton’s Laws in a near-perfect, frictionless environment (a vacuum) and are subject only to the gravitational attraction of other objects as well as the application of outside forces. The path an object takes through space depends entirely upon such forces —no deviation from the original velocity (magnitude and direction) will take place unless acted upon by an outside force, such as gravity or a collision with another object, according to Newton’s First Law of Motion. So, again; objects do not “float” in space.
     As for the many misunderstandings involving the formation of the moon, this is but ONE of the many possible theories. Although this particular theory, much more comprehensive than most seem to be capable of conveying, is perhaps the most accepted, it must be acknowledged that the subject is still an open question. Scientists believe life did not begin proliferation on Earth until an estimated 1-billion years after the chaotic turbulence surrounding the Sun coalesced into the planets in our Solar System. The cataclysmic event that potentially created the moon is estimated to have happened very early on in Earth’s formation; perhaps a million years after our presently majestic planet collected most of its surrounding dust, ice, debris and gas left in the wake of a supernova. More than likely, this was a massive First Generation star from which the Sun and all the orbiting planets were formed. Stating that the impact killed “a ton of life” is plain nonsensical. Even if life was present, which is doubtful at best: 1. Life at this stage of Earth’s formation would have been comprised of unicellular, microscopic organisms; 2. Very few multi-cellular organisms, if any at all, would have had sufficient time to evolve; and 3. An impact of this magnitude (a Mars-sized object slamming into Earth) would result in what is known as an Extinction-Level Event—meaning ALL life is extinguished.
   Finally we arrive at a most unoriginal conclusion: war is necessary to maintain population balance; and peace, in turn, eventually makes war necessary. Is it really THAT difficult to pose instead the most obvious question that arises from this assumption; “Is there a better way to maintain balance between a growing global Human population and the environment which sustains all life we currently know of?” Seemingly, one is only concerned with maintaining a supposed necessity of war when referencing the appropriation of resources on a global scale; ignoring technological capability and intellectual potential being applied to the appropriation of resources on a global scale through the scientific method. Burning of so-called “natural” resources derived from fossil fuels is undeniably wreaking havoc on the environment. “ALTERNATIVE” resources already exist; but Multinational Corporations rooted in the oil and natural gas industries are blocking large-scale production of all-electric vehicles, photovoltaic cell research, geothermal research, and wave-energy research and push propaganda to make the public in industrially developed countries believe in some form of supposed inefficacy of these technologies. To what end?—Money, of course. Planned obsolescence is profitable. Technically speaking, however, these so-called “alternative” forms of energy are the only TRUE “natural” resources; for, no pollution would result from the extraction and conversion of sunlight, or geothermal-, or wave-energy. No fuel would need to be refined and no burning of such fuels would be necessary to extract the unimaginably vast storehouses of potential energy all around us.-----Fact: The sun produces almost 4x10^26 Watts of energy. The amount of this energy which actually reaches Earth’s surface is more than 20,000 times the amount used ANNUALLY by all of Humankind. In other words, innovation in the field of solar cell research alone could potentially solve the energy problem on a global scale—FOREVER. Well, at least for the next 5.5-billion years. But, just imagine the combination of these truly natural sources of energy providing the entire globe with practically unlimited, money-free energy. This is possible TODAY. Not in fifty, or a hundred, or a thousand years—RIGHT NOW. So we can continue to rationalize exploitative practices, promote self-interest, perpetuate hostility towards new approaches, or we can find A BETTER WAY by pursuing new HEITs in our collective existence, rooted in sustainability and global advancement of Humankind. This is The Human Endeavor, and we are ALL on this journey together. We are ONE species sharing ONE planet with millions of others. And that is what we must remember. We already are not alone.

Little Green Men

     Recently, I calculated an estimate to the number of extrasolar planets that may harbor intelligent life. Although the method I implemented is rather crude, the results are staggering. According to astronomers, there are an estimated 300 billion (3.0 x 10^11) galaxies in the known universe. (That number has fluctuated between 100 and 500 billion over the decades, but for simplicity’s sake, I will use 300 billion.) Each galaxy contains about 3.0 x 10^11 stars. Multiply these and you get 9.0 x 10^22, or 90,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (90 sextillion) stars in the known universe. Around ninety percent of these stars are main sequence stars—stars in the most stable part of their lives that release energy by fusing hydrogen into helium. This leaves 81,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (81 sextillion) stars. If only 1,000,000,000th of these are like our sun, we are left with 81,000,000,000,000 (81 trillion) stars. About one percent of those stars, 810,000,000,000 (810 billion), should have planetary systems orbiting. One percent of those planetary systems, or 8,100,000,000 (8.1 billion), may yield at least one planet at a distance of what is known as “the goldilocks zone.” If one percent of those have atmospheres similar in composition, then at least one percent of those more than likely harbor some form of life—810,000. Finally, we can conclude that it is highly probable that more than one percent of those planets harbor intelligent life; however, if we were to be extremely modest and say that only one percent of one percent of these Earth-like planets have intelligent life, we are still left with 80 other planets that could have civilizations with technology well beyond that of our own here on Earth. The civilizations advanced enough technologically to populate other inhabitable planets mean that the number of planets that actually have life could be in the thousands or even tens of thousands. Even this number fails to account for the moons of giant planets that orbit stars at a distance that would allow for microbial growth or support a habitable environment. Our celestial neighbor Jupiter, a giant planet which can fit over 1300 Earths inside, boasts 63 moons. In fact, Jupiter’s moon, Europa, has been one of the most intriguing objects in the cosmos to many of the world’s astronomers. The reason: water. Scientists believe that Europa’s icy surface floats atop an ocean of liquid water. In the scientific community, the rule of thumb has been ‘where there is water, there is probably life.’ The problem: funding. It costs around $10000 per pound to send packages into space, for a grand total of right around $1.2 billion for each mission. NASA is a government-funded program with a budget of roughly $18 billion each year, which creates a far-too-limited number of research and development projects that have the potential to propel us into the future that boasts what is known only in the pages of science fiction novels. But, just imagine if we found life thriving on the moon of a giant planet in our very own solar system. When this happens, as I am confident it will within the next two or three decades, it will be the most important discovery ever made by Humankind—we are not alone. It could be the final piece in the puzzle of trying to understand how to understand Humankind’s purpose in the Universe. Maybe that is not enough for some of you, so I will throw in a few more hard facts that are confirmed by a consortium of astronomers around the world.

     If you think about it, we are merely one particular miniscule product of an extremely long and complicated chain of events, in our understood version of time (which is a topic that could literally fill volumes), following a massive stellar explosion that happened roughly 5 billion years ago. This explosion produced many higher elements through a process, that is also present in Supergiant stars, known as nucleosynthesis, and can be accounted for by analyzing the fact that our own star, the Sun, contains some of these higher elements. This can only mean, through our observations and accepted theories, that when the Sun was a protostar—a region of extremely compact gas that is not yet dense enough to begin nuclear fusion of hydrogen—all of the gas being collected was that of a star that blew up in a supernova explosion more than 5 billion years ago. The original star probably was an extremely massive first generation star (based on a 13.7 billion year old known Universe) that exhausted its nuclear fuel very rapidly and then blew off its outer shells as supernovae, seeding the surrounding area of the universe with copious amounts of elements that would eventually be, in a sense, recycled through the formation of many further generations of stars, including the Sun. If the Sun was what is known as a first generation star we would not detect higher elements in the atmosphere. What we must remember, though, is that the Sun is just an average, relatively ordinary star which will eventually exhaust its massive storehouse of hydrogen gas through a specific nuclear fusion process known as the proton-proton chain. The estimated lifetime of a star similar in size and composition to the Sun is about 10 billion years. Already, scientists have postulated and agreed, 4.5 billion years have passed. So, we have 5.5 billion years to achieve a level of understanding that will allow us to relocate to another planet with a habitable environment; given we do not eradicate all life on Earth, including ourselves, long before then. To put all of this into perspective, Human Beings have been evolving for a little over 1 million years; written language is known to have been used in communication for over 10000 years; the Egyptian pyramids were built between 3000-5000 years ago; Newton began his groundbreaking work in Physics over 300 years ago; the industrial revolution was about 150 years ago; the automobile was invented roughly 100 years ago; Humans only live an average of 70-80 years; and I was born just 23 years ago. Time flies by faster than we think.

     In 1929, Edwin Hubble, observing at the Mount Wilson Observatory in California, made perhaps the most important astronomical discovery of the 20th Century: the expansion of the Universe. The concept was originally conceived by Albert Einstein over a decade earlier in his equations of General Relativity; however, Einstein believed in a static Universe, and so incorporated what he called the “cosmological constant” to compensate for something he was not quite sure how to explain. Hubble realized, though, that not only was the Universe expanding, the further away galaxies were, the faster they were moving. In other words, the Universe is expanding at an accelerating rate. Confirming this expansion was absolutely remarkable and revolutionized the ways in which we peer beyond Earth’s atmosphere and into the vast reaches of space. The cause for this expansion is still a huge question mark for theorists; nonetheless, the Big Bang, with a more recent addition known as Inflation, is the accepted theory today. But, there remains a problem: no theory has been designed that can accurately predict and explain, with verifiable equations, what happened at a time just 10^-43 (a decimal point with 42 zeros and a 1) seconds before the expansion began, creating a disunion of the Weak Nuclear, Strong Nuclear, Electromagnetic and Gravitational forces. There seems to be a big fuzzy patch at the beginning of any textbook explanation to The Big Bang which denotes a fundamental breakdown of all known and accepted theories that have been formulated to explain the Universe. These unknowns, along with many other unanswered questions, should be inspiration for Humankind to constantly be at the cutting edge of intellectual development, scientific research and technological breakthroughs.

     I realize that for some these numbers, along with the evidence, are just too overwhelming or may sound far-fetched. Perhaps it just completely goes against others’ religious beliefs. Regardless of any circumstance, these facts remain; and what one must consider is the level of technological and intellectual advancement Humankind has heretofore achieved. We are still at a relatively primitive stage in our Human Endeavor; and given that our technological progression is rapidly outpacing our intellectual progression, we stand at a pivotal point in our collective existence. We must stabilize this separation of advancement with the choices we make in the next decade—truly the most influential decisions Humankind will have ever made. The key to making the right choices is doing so in Unity. But, how can we make any choices, with respect to the interests, well-being and advancement of all of Humankind, if we continue as separate nations? Some in which Human trafficking, oppression, genocide and many other savage acts are carried out on a day-to-day basis; others in which private entities and corporations have a political stronghold on public policies that do not necessarily protect the interests of the public, but rather business interests. A global Federation would be a great start. An alliance of that magnitude will surely usher in future generations of Prosperity, Unity and Advancement for all Citizens of Earth. If there is any way for you to see life the way in which I see, it is this: the next time you are out at night and you have access to a clear view of a cloudless, moonless sky, do yourself a favor that so many neglect to do; take a few moments and just look up. Overwhelming, isn’t it? Just imagine the possibilities.

Experientia Docet

     The 21st Century...Cue the guy with the vociferous, baritone voice and throw in an orchestral accompaniment of triumph and progress. Indeed, the very thought alone makes one’s mind race off into a sunset of infinite dreams and endless possibilities; into some cliche Hollywood portrayal of what life might be like in the future—corruption and total destruction through the misuse of advanced technology, or boundless knowledge and intergalactic travel. The latter depiction is held in a rather phantasmal light while the former seems inevitably feasible. Conceding to the fact that nearly ten years have passed thus far in the Twenty-First Century and we have yet to change course towards global societal unification, there remains an ever-growing list of questions attached to the idea of futurity—far too many to name in just a few short pages. Humankind stands at the precipice of reason; and for that establishment, we are faced with a choice to reason as One, or to continue dividing interpretation of reason as many. The question one might immediately ask is whether global Unity is even possible. Can an allegedly advanced species, as ours so arrogantly boasts, with such a broad range of cultural, social, governmental and religious diversity, find a way to Unite for the common goal of advancement, or are we doomed to the stagnant, vicious circle that has been the history of Humankind—separate nations that journey from wealth to power; power to control; and control to self-destruction? With a plethora of globally pertaining issues, it is difficult to sift through so many and choose the single most pertinent issue that Humankind faces. After careful consideration (it was between this and religious subjugation, which I will get to soon enough in my writings), I have chosen to examine the possibility of, as well as reasons for, global governmental Unity. I realized that by pulling this single “string”, as the maxim goes, a thousand unravel; practically all other issues become aligned on a path to resolve. As the title of this essay indicates in Latin, experience teaches. We should take into consideration and learn from the past; not dwell upon and re-live the past time and again. Speaking of time; it is of the essence (at least our vague interpretation of time is apparently of some essence); so let us begin, shall we?

     Earth is but a nucleus of an atom of a grain of sand; only a speck on the cosmic beach of space-time. So where does that leave us? Negligible, at best, I suppose. But that fact does not mean Humankind can excuse the atrocities that have hitherto been carried out between the separate societies which have flourished into distinct spheres rarely overlapping on similar policies and issues. Rather, the barbarous actions of Humankind over the millennia need to be substantiated in a manner that derives just intentions of advancement through an enumeration of commonly known, yet, consistently ignored facts. Recall that in 1776, Thomas Jefferson did exactly that and it changed the course of the history of Earth, even if intentions were focused on founding a single, united nation. Today, we face an entirely new, alarmingly paralleled situation—this time in a global context. “The Declaration of Independence” as my influential compendium, I have written a modernized update to this truly historic document. As a way of conveying a global societal unification, this document is entitled “The Declaration of Interdependence.” It goes as follows:

*****When in the course of Human events, a necessity for an unprecedented, immediate and interminable global cooperation arises, that of a truly undivided people must firmly be established to achieve goals concurrently. Human Beings of all ages, races, creeds, ethnicity and governments, unified to forge Global Legislation, should bring forth a declaration of causes for separation from, and abolishment of, all constraints inhibiting positive intellectual and technological progression, and for movement towards Unity, of all Human Civilizations on Earth.

     We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Human Beings are created equal; that they are creations of the Universe, and thus are bound by the Laws of the Universe. That it is within the responsibilities of all Human Beings to Unite and ensure a future of advancement and security for all forms of life inhabiting their world. That to embrace boundless knowledge for their kind strengthens the effort to thoroughly understand the fundamental structure of the Universe. That to obtain absolute understanding of the Universe yields interpretation of purpose. That purpose inspires Human Beings to become united and self-sustaining without the threat of tyranny and oppression. That when self-sufficient Governments of their world become destructive of these ends and fail to secure the advancement of Human Beings, it is their right, it is their duty to alter or abolish these Systems of Government and provide a new, worldwide Government to establish uniformity in advancement.

— Such has been the toleration by Human Beings; and so now becomes the necessity to alter their Systems of Government. The history of governments on planet Earth is a history of expansion scarred by material greed, power and control over the masses. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

     We have refused our Assent to the Laws of the Universe, the most wholesome and necessary for the global public good. We have allowed our Legislatures to neglect passing Laws of immediate and pressing importance; and when they so shall pass such Laws, it is at the desire of lobbyists and private corporations not serving the Interests of the global public. We have allowed corrupt individuals the ability to write Legislation of unusual, uncomfortable lengths for the sole purpose of fatiguing us into compliance without understanding. We have witnessed the enslavement, indoctrination, genocide, and invasions on the rights of millions of people throughout Human history. We have ignored the fact that thousands of people die every day due to preventable causes that modernized countries simply take for granted. We have refused for a long time, after such occurrences, to take measures to ensure well-being of all Citizens worldwide and to promote an understanding that the authority of Legislative Powers ultimately resides in the People at large for the sole purpose of preventing Annihilation; entire countries remaining in the mean time under the influence of totalitarians. We have endeavored to create obstructions at the borders of our separated countries in order to block the instinctive Nature of Humankind to explore and discover; all in the name of pretended Security from one another. We have declared War on other Human Beings for vast numbers of unjustified reasons; reasons easily resolved through proper diplomacy. We have failed to acknowledge the importance of Education, Health and Technology in the future advancement of our global society. We have neglected the innate duty of responsibility to the betterment of a societal whole, unacknowledged or unbeknownst by many and abandoned by others in times of greatest importance; giving our Assent to acts of pretended legislation:

     For allowing such indecency to Humankind to continue unabated: For protecting the actions of some and attacking those same actions of others by use of loopholes and extenuating circumstances that ignore the core facets of Right and Wrong: For cutting off or restricting Trade with certain parts of the world for intentions based on profit and control; not sustainability: For depriving us in many cases, of information useful to making decisions that affect Citizens and our Rights and Liberties: For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offenses: For tolerating the abrogation of habeas corpus, Human and Civil Rights and Liberties; advocating instead Systems of Government corrupt with avarice, Injury and political bureaucracy; inevitable to becoming self-destructive as all hitherto governments have: For cherishing theological ideology over logical design—the ability and responsibility of Humankind to naturally advance itself to a level of unforeseen understanding bereft of hallowed subjugation—and neglecting to focus rather on an unabridged understanding of the underlying principles that constitute the Laws of the Universe.

     We have abdicated Government, in many instances under false pretenses of necessary Security, becoming subject to War against ourselves. We have plundered the land, ravaged the Coasts, bombed the cities and destroyed the lives of millions of people in other nations. We are at this time transporting large Armies of Mercenaries to other nations to complete the works of death and desolation, with hypocritical intentions to prevent such acts from being carried out, under circumstances of Cruelty and Perfidy scarcely paralleled to the most barbarous ages. We have excited domestic insurrections amongst ourselves due to unjust laws and advocated inequalities.

     In every stage of these Oppressions, We have, through a vast range of Organizations, Petitioned for Redress in the most Humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated Injury.

    We have been warned time and again of attempts by our legislatures to extend unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the conditions of our Assent to only fair and just Laws. We have appealed for honorable justice and magnanimity and they have been deaf to the voice of reason and logic. Therefore, we must denounce Separation of Nations and Society, Unite the Governments of Humankind and provide safeguards for the future of our Posterity.

     We, the Representatives of planet Earth, in Council, Assembled, appealing to the Citizens of Earth for sanction of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of all People from all Nations, solemnly publish and declare, that all Nations are, and of Right ought to be United; that they are absolved from all Allegiance to oppressive institutions, and that all political connection between States, is and ought to be totally integrated; and that as Sovereign Nations bound to a single, common governmental contract, they have full Power to establish Commerce, contract Alliances, promote Peace, and to do all other Acts and Things which Interdependent States may of right do under the provisions of the global Alliance. And for the support of this Declaration, we, the people of Earth, pledge to each other our Lives, our Guidance and our Knowledge.*****

     This document has been the object of months of quiet anticipation; mine, of course. And, it is far from perfect. But, I believe that if Jefferson was alive in modern times and felt compelled to write about the state of the world’s governmental affairs, the result might resemble what you have just read. Besides the limited number of examples I was able to convey, there is plenty of empirical evidence for why such an alliance would be indubitably beneficial to all of Humankind. When was the last time that you watched the news, at least here in the United States, and it was filled with inspirational stories of magnanimity? In my lifetime, I can definitively say never. It has been made clear by corporate conglomerate media outlets that what the public apparently enjoys and cannot get enough of are scripted reality shows, celebrity gossip and stories that adorn our airwaves with death, corruption and devastation. Controversy sells; and we all know that at the end of the day, profit is what life is about. Well, not really, but that is what we have been led to believe and cherish. Since when did athletic accomplishment and infotainment take precedence over intellectual esteem and academia? Maybe the shift happened when the Internet allowed people to water down language, especially English, into the online jargon and acronyms that have been the staple of the youth of the United States (e.g. OMFG, ROTFL.) Furthermore, interest in, as well as access to, government has declined or been limited significantly over the past few decades, especially since the Internet has opened up the world to the notion that absolutely everything is just a click away and, more recently, by the passage of the USA Patriot Act. To set the record straight, I am not in any way blaming the Internet for Humankind’s indiscretions. Nor do I attest to a ban, limitation or control of the Internet—it is the ultimate form of ubiquitous trans-communication and should be completely free worldwide; plus, without it I might have no hope of conveying my many messages of Unity to the world over. How can a price be placed on knowledge, anyways? These are all just simple observations that everyone should be making; but I understand how hard it is the peel away from the latest gossip, the newest controversy over celebrities’ infidelities, the hottest new phone/text machine/camera/Internet browser/mp3 player/everything you can think of all in one little $500 device that will be outdated in 2 weeks and is marketed as the best new thing to make you think and do less, and put as little effort as possible into gaining a more refined understanding of life. Although all of these topics actually do fall under the category of global governmental Unity, the issue I am most concerned with, however, is the government itself and how best to obtain a global unification, thereof.

     So, what would be the best form of government to implement in a global community? In an article written for Time Magazine, Strobe Talbott says, “The best mechanism for democracy, whether at the level of the multinational state or that of the planet as a whole, is not an all-powerful Leviathan or centralized superstate, but a federation, a union of separate states that allocate certain powers to a central government while retaining many others for themselves.” I couldn't agree more. Before I had even read that article, months ago, I actually wrote an essay which provided a foundation for a Federation of Earth. Admittedly, it was almost exclusively based on the federal system that exists in the United States, with minor updates to accommodate and ensure global participation and representation. It has proven, with the United States as prime advocating example, that federalism is perhaps the most promising form of government that would mold an all-encompassing umbrella over nations which establishes a foundation of guiding principles and laws ensuring Rights and advancement for all nations on Earth, while delegating all other powers not mentioned in the binding agreement to the nations. In a more judicial aspect of global Unity, Stephen Schlesinger, of the World Policy Institute in New York City comments, “By the end of the century, we will have the first permanent international criminal court to prosecute the most serious violations of humanitarian law.”

     No doubt we are bound to an inevitable future of Unity in one form or another. What better time than now to light a torch that we will be proud to pass on to future generations of Earth? In the Federalist, Alexander Hamilton wrote, in 1787, “There is nothing absurd or impracticable in the idea of a league or alliance between independent nations, for certain defined purposes precisely stated in a treaty…leaving nothing to future discretion; and depending for its execution on the good faith of the parties.” Visionary words indeed, considering the time in which they were written. He was right then, and he is undeniably correct in modern times. We have literally had millennia to establish a well-rounded, fully integrated government which can protect future generations through Unity; especially within the past century. There really is no excuse. Nothing can justify Humankind’s propensity to dominate everything by any and all means necessary. No words can define just how important a unification of this magnitude—of this importance—truly is. It is something that must be felt within; something intangible, yet profoundly realized. It begins when we want it to begin. We are faced with a choice to design a respectable, prosperous government to carry on a legacy of Unity and humanitarianism, or be forced into it by whatever wars, tragedies or disasters that we encounter on our journey; inevitable obstacles on such a neglectful path that have an extremely good chance of leading to total annihilation. So what will it be? We can utilize this luxury of choice and decide for ourselves, or chalk our future up to these ellipses…