麻豆社

Good morning. The words: 鈥淚鈥檝e heard about space for a long time now鈥� seem quite an understatement coming from William Shatner who played Captain Kirk in the original Star Trek series. Next week, Shatner is set to become the oldest human to venture into actual space, thanks to Jeff Bezos and his Blue Origins project.

Getting life to imitate art here has generated great publicity and quoting of the most celebrated split infinitive: 鈥渢o boldly go where no man has gone before鈥�. Space-based science-fiction gives writers the freedom to conjure up worlds and beings far beyond our normal conception. But, at its best, it resonates with life on Earth and shines a light on our own civilisation. It tackles the ideas and aspirations humanity holds to be true or important. Indeed, Star Trek paved new social territory having a multicultural crew of the starship Enterprise; and with one of TV鈥檚 first inter-racial kisses.

Hinduism鈥檚 Puranas are also full of depictions of worlds far distant in time and space. Whether taken as myth or antiquity, these stories are intended to stimulate thinking about the here and now. The Bhagavad-gita itself comments about other life within the universe: 鈥淥n the most advanced planet down to the most primitive 鈥� all life shares the same challenges: how to find happiness amongst pain; and permanence amongst transience鈥�. The natural desire to expand our knowledge aims to address those issues. However, the Gita explains that ignorance comes in two forms. The first is a lack of knowledge of something that is yet to be studied or learnt. The other, and potentially more perilous aspect, is not having a true or sufficient understanding of the things you think you know.

Vedic texts reveal a fascination with space - with treatises on planetary motion, and the scale and duration of the cosmos. But, they suggest we should also explore the inner world of our own consciousness. Everything we value or fear about life - the joy and love of relationships, the heartbreak of loss, the pain of our bodies 鈥� is based on the fact of our consciousness. This consciousness, says the Gita, is distinct from our physical bodies and we should boldly go and explore the unknowns of our own spiritual frontiers through contemplation and meditation. If we do, we may discover a new world and see a fresh vision for our life.

To misquote another Star Trek catchphrase: It鈥檚 life, Jim, but not as we knew it.

Show less