Monday, March 19, 2007

The Manifest Destiny: Mark II

So... I feel kind of bad leaving the site not updated for a few weeks so I decided to share an essay of mine that I wrote awhile back. Hopefully it provokes a little thought. Anyways, here it is:

The Manifest Destiny: Mark II

The original Manifest Destiny was used for the reasoning of expansion into new and unfound territories. One must surely be confused as to what a second version of the Manifest Destiny could mean. After all, what new and unfound territory is left in the world? If it cannot be the expansion of territory then perhaps it is spreading the idea of global unity? In fact, that is exactly what the Manifest Destiny: Mark II is! Well… that is exactly what half of it is. The other half actually is the expansion of territory. How can this be when it has already been established that there is an insignificant amount of undiscovered territory, if any, left in the world? The key phrase here is “in the world.” Mankind’s next logical step or, perhaps more appropriately, mankind’s next destined step is exploring and colonizing space.

Looking back on the history of human grouping one can clearly see how mankind has come together over time. Initially it was only the formation of “clans” in small area that joined together to ensure survival. As technology advanced and ideas spread these “clans” started converging into tribes or city-states. Tribes and city-states eventually organized themselves as civilized nations. That brings mankind to its current state where nations are becoming incredibly connected due to globalization. Borders are starting to blur as nations are forming strong unions. The UN and the European Union are just a couple of many examples hinting towards global unity.

There is one last hurdle to overcome before the next level can be achieved, albeit a massive hurdle. The next step before humans can finally be under one, unified group is to gain a new perspective. Our perspective is currently limited to the surface of the Earth and it is for this reason that people cannot have a vision of a unified Earth. Without the capacity to see global unity there is no hope for attaining global unity. That is why it is written in mankind’s Manifest Destiny to move on to the next frontier and break down these barriers.

The Earth is eventually going to run out of available resources and space will only increase in scarcity. It is not only to our advantage to colonize space; it is of absolute necessity! It is possible that a single virus could infect the entire human race and wipe us out if we remain contained on the Earth. Likewise, a cataclysmic event could drastically change the environment and leave our precious planet unlivable. These are only a sample of the short-term doomsday possibilities. Extend the time stuck on Earth and our doomsday starts to become inevitable. With all of these possible outcomes looming over our heads there leaves no better time to start planning than now. Our society has the resources, technology, and manpower to make space colonization a reality. The only thing lacking is the push for expansion and continuing our Manifest Destiny. Unfortunately, if we never receive that needed push we will never be able to realize the full potential of the human race. This is why we need everyone who cares to push for our “Manifest Destiny.”
What do you guys think? I hope you enjoyed it.

p.s. I have been making progress on some articles. Rest assured, I will have a nice buffer soon!

Related Articles:

No comments: