Floating hundreds of miles above Earth, far removed from the noise and chaos of everyday life, many say they come back with a radically different perspective on what truly matters.
Former NASA astronaut Ron Garan is no exception.
Garan spent 178 days in space and traveled over 71 million miles in 2,842 orbits during his career.
Now as he reflects on his experiences, he’s shared that humanity is ‘living a lie.’
The moment everything shifted
Garan’s epiphany is far more compelling than any flat Earth theory.
In an interview with Big Think, he discussed the moment it occurred to him that society had gotten everything wrong.
You see, Garan experienced the so-called ‘overview effect,’ which occurs in many astronauts when they view Earth from space.
Understanding the ‘overview effect’
BBC’s Sky at Night magazine says it can result in astronauts experiencing ‘spiritual awakenings’ or deepen their connection to our planet, with Apollo 14’s Edgar Mitchell describing it as an ‘explosion of awareness,’ per Neotic.
The overview effect has been documented since the early days of human spaceflight, yet it continues to fascinate psychologists and researchers.
Many astronauts describe an almost emotional shock when they first see Earth suspended in the void, glowing with color but surrounded by complete darkness.
It’s a moment that forces them to reconsider borders, conflicts, and divisions that seem so important on the ground but look meaningless from orbit.
Garan says this shift hit him harder than he ever expected.
A sobering realization from orbit
The astronaut said that when he looked out of the window, he came to a ‘sobering’ conclusion.
“I saw the paparazzi-like flashes of lightning storms, I saw dancing curtains of auroras that seemed so close it was as if we could reach out and touch them,” Garan recounted to Big Think.
“And I saw the unbelievable thinness of our planet’s atmosphere.”
He added: “In that moment, I was hit with the sobering realization that that paper-thin layer keeps every living thing on our planet alive.”
Garan said he didn’t see the economy, instead, he saw ‘an iridescent biosphere teeming with life,’ continuing: “But since our human-made systems treat everything, including the very life-support systems of our planet, as the wholly owned subsidiary of the global economy, it’s obvious from the vantage point of space that we’re living a lie.”
Garan also opened up about the ‘profound experience’ in an interview with Forbes, describing how it ‘just blew him away.’
He added: “The other thing I felt, and I can’t really explain it, is that being completely detached from Earth also made me feel deeply connected with everyone on the planet. It was this overwhelming kinship.”
Why his perspective matters today
Garan’s reflections serve as a reminder that the solutions to many of our biggest problems begin with perspective.
From space, political disagreements, national rivalries, and economic anxieties fade into the background, leaving only a shared home that billions rely on.
As more astronauts share these experiences and more people gain access to space in the coming decades, the hope is that this shift in awareness will inspire real action here on the ground.
Since returning to Earth, the former astronaut has become a vocal advocate for environmental stewardship and the importance of prioritizing planetary health over economic gains.
He founded the Manna Energy Foundation, a nonprofit that centers on ensuring clean drinking water access in developing nations, and the project Fragile Oasis, which strives for positive global change.
As humanity continues to reach for the stars, the lessons learned from space may be the key to ensuring a thriving Earth for generations.