BBC Thought for the Day

Photo by NASA on Unsplash

At the moment, the world seems gripped by conflict in Syria, Ukraine, Iraq, and the devastating siege of Gaza. Perhaps because of the overwhelming nature of these events, I recently found myself thinking about something that is both literally and figuratively miles away. Remember Felix Baumgartner’s freefalling from space last year? What I found remarkable about him was his attitude. Despite the seeming madness of his space dive, he claims that as he jumped, all he could think of was returning home to his family alive. 

Family is obviously one of the most vital parts of all our lives. In Gaza, the most heartbreaking thing has been to see families torn apart and grieving due to the violence inflicted on their society. The sad thing is that on the other side, there are no doubt families who think occupation and aggression are necessary to protect their loved ones. Violence against others is often justified as a proactive step to protecting family and community. 

Of course, we all care for our relatives, but the idea of kinship and connection can be twisted, especially by those with power. By evoking concepts like family and community as core social principles, politicians often allow us to feel good about doing self-centred things, like supporting welfare cuts if they do not directly affect us, or, in extreme cases, to justify waging war on others. 

Returning to Felix, standing outside his diminutive space capsule with the world below, one cannot but be struck by how tiny our planet is in the vastness of space. As he says, sometimes you have to go up really high to understand how small you are. You would think this realisation would make us, as a species, want to be closer, to cooperate more and work together. Yet, perversely, it seems, the more we’re faced with the expanse of the universe and its diversity, the more we take refuge in our families and communities. This might, in the short term, make each of us feel more secure. Yet, paradoxically, the more we retreat from those we see as the “other,” the more we end up fearing them. And fear is the root of many conflicts. 

Safety is ensured, as counterintuitive as it sounds, when we move beyond the boundaries of the small worlds we all inhabit. Genuine security for those we love can only be achieved when we connect with and know others, and that, even if it does not immediately fix all the worldwide conflicts, is a small step we can take each day.

Transcript of the recording of BBC Thought for the Day with Brandon Hamber on 26 August 2014. Recorded at BBC Radio Foyle.