Chapter 37: Earth-rise: Expanding our circle of caring

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Earth-rise over Moon Apollo 8, December 1968

​In chapter 37, I explain how I met Rusty Schweickert in Boulder when I was a young college student attending a conference at the University of Colorado. The picture of Earthrise as well as his personal experience, witnessing the beauty of Earth from space, created a paradigm shift for the entire human race. The awe that he felt brought forth fundamental questions he had about the meaning of life on Earth.
 
In an interview, he explains that we are at the point of what he calls “cosmic birth” referring to a concept about Earth’s birthing process, using the metaphorical comparison of human birthing processes. His explanations allow us to understand where we are in the cosmic birthing process.
 
Epigenetics ushers in yet another major paradigm shift. We are the Keepers of Earth, Keepers of Life and our Genome. We are also Shepherds of our planet’s biodiversity. Hidden within the symbol of the Shepherd may be an archetypical enigma about how to care for life on Earth. How can we expand our circle of caring to include all the creatures and the Creation? Schweikert’s telling the story of space exploration brings us to a new level of coherency, offering a vision and explanation of the unfolding trajectory of wordlings.

Link to a Newsweek interview with astronaut Rusty Schweickert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3vHNl6NMdw
 
Listen to Rusty Schweickert explain his vision of Cosmic Birth: https://apollospace.com/rusty-schweickart-apollo-9-beyond-film/
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