Think about this. A child sends their favorite toy into space on a weather balloon. A camera documents the entire trip, and when the chest lands, they go track it down with a GPS enabled treasure map.

In a matter of hours, their toy is so much more than a prized possession; it has become an astronaut. You can only imagine the emotion a child feels when they find that favored friend, hold it in their hands and know that it just came back from the stars. And it’s happening all the time, all over the world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoMN-zg7r3M

Meanwhile, Earth, as we understand it. Is a tiny, fragile ball of life, hanging in the void. Shielded and nourished by a paper thin atmosphere. Anyone who has traveled to space agrees unanimously on one thing: when you are gazing down from outside the atmosphere, national boundaries vanish. The conflicts that divide us so prominently on the planet, suddenly start becoming less important, fading the lines between cultural and societal structures.

So what happens when the open mind of a child gets a glimpse of this perspective in such a personal way? These kids are the generation of tomorrow, and the ideas that are being solidified in their minds now, will directly affect the actions they take in the future.

If the reasoning behind the conflict of nation states starts to diminish in the ideals of the world’s youth, then the possibilities are unfathomable and exponential. The very social and cultural prejudices that the human race cling to will begin to become less important, and the exploration of what is beyond this tiny, living breathing rotating rock in space will take center stage.

And then what comes next? What could possibly be the outcome of such a pivotal and vital point of evolution in our existence? We can only dream. But dreams become imagination, imagination becomes innovation, and innovation becomes reality.