Ron Garan, a former NASA astronaut, has spent 178 days in space and accumulated more than 114 million kilometers traveling in 2,842 orbits around Earth. His journey, however, hasn’t been just about impressive numbers. During one of those trips, he experienced something that few humans have ever experienced: the so-called Overview Effect, a phenomenon that transforms the way we see our planet.
The Overview Effect — or “Overview Effect” — is a reality shock common among astronauts. By observing the Earth from space, they realize, viscerally, that the planet is a unique, fragile and interconnected system. For Garan, the experience was so remarkable that he describes it as a “great awakening”. In an interview with the site Big Think, he revealed: “Certain things become undeniably clear when you’re up there.”
From his window on the International Space Station, Garan witnessed breathtaking natural phenomena: lightning storms that resembled paparazzi flashes, the northern lights dancing like glowing curtains, and the Earth’s atmosphere so thin you could “almost touch with your hands.” But it was the fineness of that layer that had him on his toes. “I realized that everything that sustains life on Earth depends on a fragile layer, almost like paper,” he explained.
The atmosphere, with its few kilometers thick, is what protects all life forms from hostile conditions of space. For Garan, this view has highlighted a paradox: while the biosphere is vibrant and full of life, human systems treat the planet as a “subsidy to the global economy.” In other words, we prioritize economic growth at the expense of the natural systems that sustain us. “We’re living a lie,” he stated.
The astronaut also pointed out how problems like global warming, deforestation, and loss of biodiversity are treated as isolated issues when, in fact, they are symptoms of a larger problem: human disconnection with the planet. “From space, it becomes clear that we do not see each other as part of a whole. “As long as we do not change this mentality, we will continue to be in crisis,” he said.
The solution, according to Garan, is a radical change of priorities. Instead of thinking about “economy, society, planet”, we should reverse the order: “planet, society, economy”. This simple exchange reflects the need to place environmental health as the basis for all other decisions. “This is the only way we will really evolve,” he argued.
Another crucial point is independence . Garan compared the Overview Effect to “a lightening lamp” — an epiphany about how every human action, however small it may seem, affects the global balance. “We will not have peace on Earth until we recognize that everything is interconnected,” he affirmed.
Since returning to Earth, Garan has dedicated himself to projects that promote sustainability and global cooperation. His message is clear: We urgently need to rethink our place in the world. Have you ever stopped to imagine what it would be like to see the Earth from this perspective? While that doesn’t happen, Garan’s vision reminds us that every choice — from energy consumption to resources usage — is a step toward preserving (or destroying) this delicate “shell” we call home. “