The Second Coming of Earth?

Warning: Lots of technical jargon ahead. Links have been provided when deemed appropriate.

If there is a list of people who are SUPER excited about space exploration, then I am definitely on it. Potential water geysers on Enceladus and Europa? Awesome! The Opportunity rover still exploring Mars? Excellent! Voyager 1 sending data back from beyond the heliopause? Rock on! James Webb Telescope to launch within the next two years!!! Can't wait!!! Potential water AND life on Proxima b!!! Wait? What!?!? Let's not get ahead of ourselves here...

Without putting too much of a damper on the potential for life on Proxima b, we must be careful to distinguish facts from speculation. There are a number of factors which we believe were important to the development of life on our planet, and Proxima b does share some of those features. It is a rocky planet, which significantly increases the likelihood of molecular water, as well as the basic elements necessary to form life. Also, it is within the Goldilocks Zone, which allows for the potential of liquid water on the surface. And... well... that's about it for the potential-to-support-life column. We really don't know much about this planet yet, and we don't know nearly enough about it to say whether it has water, much less life on it. In fact, it could be decades before we know if there's even water on it. And this is the closest possible extrasolar planet we will be able to study, ever!

Also, what we do know about Proxima b makes it a very different world from Earth. The planet is approximately 30% larger than the Earth. Its star, Proxima Centauri, is much cooler than our own - 3000 K at the surface, compared to 5800 K. The planet is much, much closer to Proxima Centauri than we are to the sun. In fact, it is seven times closer to Proxima Centauri than Mercury is to the Sun! Because it is so close to the star, Proxima b orbits very quickly, with a solar year being approximately 11.2 days, compared to 365 for Earth. Just having these few fundamental pieces of data gives us an interesting picture of this tantalizingly close exoplanet, and it doesn't look much like Earth at all. Let's consider what the reality is on Proxima b.

What would our eyes perceive if we were on Proxima b? To answer that, we need to understand some things about what our eyes actually detect. The Sun, and just about everything else, produces energy all along the electromagnetic spectrum. This energy ranges from gamma rays to x-rays, ultraviolet waves, radio waves and more. However, only some of the Sun's energy reaches Earth. And a lot of that energy gets absorbed once it hits that dense gas of the atmosphere surrounding our little planet. There are only a few "pockets" of wavelengths that actually make it to the ground. One of those "pockets' is the range we call the visible spectrum, for obvious reasons. Everything you see is due to these particular wavelengths of light making it from the Sun, through our atmosphere, and to our eyes.

As noted above, Proxima Centauri is much cooler than the Sun. Which means that its energy output is quite different. If fact, its peak output is predominately in the infrared range. Based on surface temperature, we know that there is very little energy in the visible spectrum coming from it. Despite the planet being twenty times closer to Proxima Centauri than we are to the Sun, the star would only be a dim red circle to our eyes. Visually, it would be approximately five times the size of the sun, but it would be so dim that you could stare right at it without hurting your eyes. In fact, it would even be significantly dimmer than a full moon on Earth! And it would be very, very red. This, of course, is presuming that the atmosphere even lets in energy at visible wavelengths. It might not. For us, the "dim red disk" is a best case scenario. It could be totally dark.

No Earth plants would grow on Proxima b without artificial sunlight, even if there was liquid water. Plants rely on the visible spectrum, too. They use photosynthesis to absorb certain wavelengths of visible light and covert it to energy, and they simply would not get enough of that light on Proxima b to survive. In addition, being so close to the star means that the impact of solar flares and coronal mass ejections is likely to be much more intense. These solar outbursts release significant amounts of gamma- and x-ray energy, which is detrimental to life as we know it. Finally, there's a good chance that the planet is tidally locked to the star, because it is so close to it. This is the situation the moon is in with Earth, which is why we only ever see one side of it. If this is the case, then half of the planet would always have a dim red disc high in the sky above, and the other side would eternally stare out into the vastness of space. So one side could be warm, but very dangerous, and the other could be much safer, but cold and dark. When Proxima b is described as Earth-like, the reference is essentially regarding the mass and elemental makeup of the planet, and has very little relation to the things which a typical person would imagine - sunshine, clouds, plants, seasons, etc.

Now all of this seems like an epic bummer, but it's really not. It's simply the reality of what we know. So, rather than jumping to wild speculations such as "there might be liquid water" or "there could be life" on Proxima b, we should consider what it really means to have an exoplanet orbiting the nearest star to us. First of all, it supports what we've suspected for a number of years now, most stars have planets. This means that there will be thousands of future planets for us to study, and many of them will be more similar to Earth than Proxima b. Next, we have an excellent specimen upon which we can test our future equipment and theories. For example, did you know that we can't even see Proxima b? We just know that it's there because of a fluctuation in the radial velocity, or, more simply, a "wobble" detected from Proxima Centauri. In fact, most planets which could qualify as second Earths are nearly impossible to detect with our current technology. Now, some would be discouraged by that, but not astronomers!

Astronomers, and all scientist really, love the unknowns. You can be assured that astronomers are already wracking their brains to figure out ways of learn more about our intriguing neighbor. Perhaps some of the new telescopes will help us detect interactions between the magnetic fields of the star and the planet. Or maybe after the James Webb telescope is launched in 2018 we'll have enough resolving power to detect an atmosphere around Proxima b. It's possible there is a way to capture and analyze the light and motion we can already detect which will give us more information about our neighbor. The great thing about science is that it looks for the possibilities, and then chases after the facts. More often than not, it's what we don't know that gets the scientific community excited. And there's so much we don't know about Proxima b! 

Could there be life on Proxima b? Sure, there could be. But the reality is that we haven't confirmed life on any of the other bodies in our own solar system. Let's continue to work on that for now, since bodies in our solar system are about 60,000 times closer than Proxima b, and are much more likely to yield results in the next 100 years. There are a lot more things we can focus on with Proxima b right now. Things which will help to advance our understanding of the universe as a whole. It is exciting, and perhaps terrifying, to consider that we may discover life outside of Earth within the span of our own lives. But, the reality is that Proxima b is not going to be where we find it first. Let's figure out how much we can learn about Proxima b in the next 20 years. In the meantime, let's also search for life on Europa, Enceladus and Mars, since we can actually physically get to them. It just makes better sense. 

There is science. And then there is science fiction. Let's do our best to make the distinction between the two. Speculation is great. Getting the public excited about science is awesome. We just need to be careful about the expectations that are set by speculation. False expectations lead to disappointment, and disappointment can be the death of scientific research. To me at least, the facts are even more exciting than the possibilities. Let's not let wild conjecture interfere with good research. The answers are out there, and we will find them. Give it time, folks!

The Illusion of Control

How do you handle failure?

Sometimes, despite all of our hard work, success is elusive. Whether it be objectives in business, commitments, or relationships, the inability to reach a goal can be incredibly frustrating. So, what is to be done when you have put forth an exhausting amount of effort, and still cannot find the the job, recognition or partner you desire?

If you genuinely feel like all possible efforts and approaches have been made, then what you do depends on the type of person you are - some people will just give up and some people will "let the universe take over." For the people who simply give up, exhaustion and defeat typically pull them into depression. Often, time will help to downplay those feelings, and hope will once again prompt them to renew their efforts. Those who turn over responsibility for their good fortune to the universe, well, they essentially give up, too. However, they do so without the sense of ultimate defeat felt by people who just give up. They cannot continue to sustain the level of effort they've been putting forth. But, hope is not entirely lost for them. 

So, if we take the latter path, where does it leave us exactly? Well, it doesn't really matter what religious outlook one has at this point. Turning control over some aspect of your life to Jesus, Odin, Vishnu, fate, karma, the universe, or the Flying Spaghetti Monster, all amount to the same thing. More than anything, doing so is an acknowledgment that you will remain optimistic, but not actively pursue the goal in question. In theory, this allows forces outside of ourselves to manipulate the situation without our interference. We realize that situation is more than we can handle, and we willing give up the illusion of control over their it. Scary. And liberating. But, is there any validity to it?

My impulse, being a pessimist, curmudgeon and staunch disbeliever in all things lacking scientific credibility, was to scoff at the idea and move on. Which is exactly what I did when first considering this subject for a blog post. However, the longer I mulled over it and the implications of just "letting it happen," the more intriguing the idea became for me. The concept that we mess things up by taking action is as old as time. "Putting your foot in your mouth", "leaving well enough alone", "stepping on your own feet" and "keeping your mouth shut" are just a few sayings in which we acknowledge that sometimes doing nothing is the best course of action. So, maybe there could be something to this idea after all.

The first thing that "letting the universe take over" does for us? It allows us to relax. After weeks, months, or even years of struggling to attain something, we stop struggling. That first breath after a long moment of effort is one of the sweetest ones we take. Relaxation makes us more reflective, more confident, more appealing. It also makes us happier. Psychologist would say that we have detached ourselves from the issue. Buddhists might suggest that we have moved closer to right thinking and have moved away from troublesome expectations. No matter how you look at it, just by stopping for a moment and relinquishing control, we become more attractive, more capable, more vibrant.

What happens when we give up the illusion of control?

The next thing, which is super important, is that we begin to focus on ourselves again. Often, as we pursue these elusive things, we feel that the focus is on us - the things we want, the mate who will satisfy us, the job that will bring us the money and recognition we desire. But look at that again. Things. Mate. Money. Desire. Recognition. None of these things are you. They are all outward things which you desire in order to (attempt to) find happiness. And we get so caught up in chasing them that we confuse these objects and concepts for our own selves. Relinquishing the chase, even for a short time, shifts our focus back to our actual selves. Often, self-improvement and self-love grow during these times of personal freedom.

Finally, we open ourselves up to more possibilities after we stop looking for what we imagine is that exact, perfect thing. Once you've relaxed a bit, re-calibrated your focus and stopped the relentless hunt for the object of your desire, options will pop up which would not have been on the radar previously. For one, people have an innate sense for the level of tension others carry. Those who may have shied away from you before, will be more attracted to you. Plus, feeling less pressure, you will open up and make connections on a broader scale than was even possible in your previous state of being. It becomes immediately easier to talk to people. Talking to people shapes your spirit,/soul/mind/essence and you change, almost always for the better.

Without any actual transference of power or onus to another being, we have altered the variables of our formerly daunting equation. The subtle changes which "letting go" has made are actually moving us into a state of being which provides greater opportunity for success. Do you see it? There is no magic here, no spiritual or supernatural entity interfering with the thread of our lives. We are simply re-centering ourselves, remaking ourselves in some small, but powerful way. The struggle is real. And often, the struggle is counterproductive. Living life is so much better than chasing it. There is a song by the band Uncle Lucius which sums this up nicely, "Slow down, slow down. Be here now." Good advice, but not always easy to follow.

If you have "let the universe take over" and realized success by doing so, then it may have been a revelation to you. In fact, it can be life-changing. The Buddha received the epiphany of the Four Noble Truths as he sat meditating. Meditation is nothing, if not an exercise in releasing control and freeing one's mind of the problems and desires which plague it. Releasing your own "illusion of control" can also lead to greater understanding of things, and greater opportunities. The peace and contentment which comes with such a release, should make you consider why you aren't living you entire life in this state of mind.

Well, why aren't you?

Ruminations on Freedom and Comfort

Are you safe, free and comfortable?

This morning a post by Edward Lucas on the website firstthings.com caught my eye. It was a response to an article about the challenges Russia is facing, and how the West still demonizes them based on past actions. Mr. Lucas seemed to have a very different opinion of the situation than the author of the article, and made his point at some length. 

However, what grabbed my attention was a line at the beginning of the post, in which Lucas mentions our need to have "a clear-eyed appreciation of the dangers facing our hitherto safe, free, and comfortable lives."

This generalized statement about the lives of his readers struck a chord with me. While I can make no statement regarding whether Mr. Lucas' life, or that of his "normal" reader,  fits into the "safe, free and comfortable" motif, the phrase seemed bold and presumptuous. As I continued to skim through the article, the question rolling around in my head was, "How does one define 'safe, free, and comfortable' when evaluating their own living situation? Or the lives of others?"

A hundred different theoretical models began swarming through my head, each one a unique combination of backgrounds, circumstances and perspectives. Each one with their own joys, fears, problems and solutions. How would those people weigh their own situations against the measure of "safe, free and comfortable"? How would they see each other from the same perspective?

Safe is defined as unlikely to be harmed. This could (and should) cover both physical and emotional harm.  Free, in the modern context, usually refers to having protected social and legal rights. However, it can also be used in the sense of having control over various aspects of one's life - from physical movement to speech to thoughts. Comfortable designates relaxation, lack of worry, and absence of physical or emotional discomfort. In many ways, comfort ups the ante on both safety and freedom. After all, some sense of safety and freedom are necessary before any true comfort can be enjoyed.

So, let's examine a few life scenarios which could exist at this very moment, and consider safe, free and comfortable from their perspectives. Then, perhaps, we can arrive at a better understanding of what this means in today's world.

Macie is 15 years old. She lives in Englewood, Chicago in a house run by her boyfriend's mother Wilma. Eight girls live there, along with four toddlers, Wilma, and Kareem, Macie's boyfriend and pimp. Wilma cooks, watches the children at night and keeps all the girls in line. She's strict, and often mean, but she reminds Macie of her own mother, who died three years ago of a heroin overdose. 

Not long after her mother died, Macie's father began sexually abusing her and pimping her out to support his habit. Kareem found her not long after that. He recruited her to come work for him instead. He's sweet to her. He touches her face when they kiss, and tells her that she's pretty. And he got her a CTA pass this month, so now she's riding the bus each evening and morning up to Garfield Park. The money is better, and the customers are nicer, mostly. Even with the hour bus ride each way, she's better off than the rest of the girls, who are still working down on Halsted.

Although Macie would love to have a room of her own, at least her roommate doesn't have any kids, so their space is usually quiet, peaceful and clean. Her bed is comfortable, and Ms. Wilma keeps the house nice and warm. Kareem is going to get her some new dresses next week, so that she can outshine the other girls, and start pulling in some big money. Macie hates the cold, and would love to move to Florida, by the ocean. But Kareem would never go for it, and the one time Wilma had really hurt Macie was when she mentioned Florida at breakfast a few weeks ago...

How do you define free?

Kara is a middle-school teacher in Tennessee. At 37, she's made a great life for herself. Her husband manages his own auto repair shop and they have two awesome kids, Sean (14) and Lillian (8). They have equity in their home, savings, 401k and are debt free. She has a girls' night out every other Friday, and enjoys doing projects around the house when she's not grading homework.

Life is good, mostly. Kara grew up just a dozen miles from where she lives now. She still has family and friends from her childhood she sees regularly. She attends the same church as she did growing up. But religion is a problem for her. She's always been a closet atheist. She believes in the goodness of people, and in many of the teachings of Christianity, but just not the "hocus-pocus" as she refers to it in her mind.

An undertone of anxiety permeates every relationship she has with those around her. Her parents, her friends, even her husband and children seem to find comfort in the faith which she simply fakes on a daily basis. Prayers at meals, prayers before bed, church twice a week, the pressure is unrelenting. And now, the new school board has updated their science textbooks to a version which contains nearly as much information about creationism as it does about natural selection. It took all of her considerable will to smile and keep quiet during the parent-teacher conferences. A large portion of the community seems delighted with the change, and they are eager to voice their opinions...

Gary has it all. After seven grueling years in business school, and another ten climbing up the corporate ladder, he had his first CEO position. Three years later he quit that job and started his own business. It flourished. Money came with it, along with a deep sense of satisfaction. He has pushed himself, believed in himself and taken risks. Now, at the age of 46, he is content to say he has succeeded.  A Benz S600, an incredible view of the Atlanta skyline from his Buckhead condo, a huge closet of Armani suits and the finest wingtips money can buy - he has everything he ever wanted.

Are you comfortable in your own skin?

But he really doesn't. Gary never married. He's never had a committed relationship. Work? Sure. He's been committed to that since he started mowing lawns at the age of 12, but people are a different story. Sexually, things are complicated for Gary. He admires women and is sometimes even attracted to them. But he is more attracted to sharply dressed men. Distinguished-looking older men are especially sexy to him. But he has never acted on his impulses. Well, not openly. A few times a year Gary slips out of his lavish life, and hits the streets wearing an old hoodie and a pair of jogging pants. He takes the bus down to one cruising spot or another, and hooks up with someone. The encounters are exhilarating, brief and often terrifying.

Lately, Gary has wondered whether he really is a man. A growing woman's wardrobe is concealed in one of the unused guest bedrooms - everything from negligees to business suits to very hot red dresses.  He has even taken to shaving his body and tucking himself in when he dresses up.  A half-dozen unopened boxes of makeup sit in the closet, too. Although he has started shaving regularly, Gary is terrified to try on the makeup, and even more terrified to ask anyone to help him with it...

Is Gary comfortable? Is he safe? What about Macie? Certainly, we'd probably all agree that Macie isn't safe, right? And she's certainly not free? Or is she? After all, she's committing forced sex acts with strangers, any one of whom could be a psychopath. Her "boyfriend" and his mother have her under their thumbs. She has no ambition, no independence. But, is she comfortable? Her current circumstances are a step up from being exploited by her stepfather, at least in her mind. So, who decides? Kara has all of her needs met on a daily basis, and she loves her job and her family. But she's certainly not comfortable, and deep down doesn't feel safe at all. Revealing her true beliefs could tear her world apart in an instant. Is that freedom? Gary could pack up and leave his whole life behind, finding a new place, a new name,  and plenty of time to explore the feelings bottled up inside of him. Why is he still living a lie? 

What are these problems to someone who is starving? Someone in prison? Someone dying of cancer before they've had a chance to fully live their lives? It could be argued that all of these individuals are "safe, free and comfortable" from the common perspective. Some would say that everyone has issues, and these individuals just need to "work it out" like the rest of us. Others might sympathize with one person or another, understanding to a certain extent how we find ourselves unexpectedly trapped in lives we did not consciously choose. And Mr. Lucas might argue that relative to being ruled by a iron-fisted fascist state, where one's life can be taken at the whim of the police, and the threat of nuclear destruction covers the streets like a terrifying dark fog, that these people are, in fact, perfectly okay. However, once all the votes are cast and all the arguments are made, safety, comfort and freedom are only manifested in one place - the mind. One can be free while locked in a jail cell, safe in the midst of a firefight and comfortable lying upon a bed of nails, if the mind allows it to be so.

Kara would certainly never be comfortable in Macie's situation. But, perhaps, Macie would be just fine as a rich, gender-confused Gary. Each of them has their own level of expectation for their lives. And each of them has their own internal limit for how far from that expectation they can be pushed before reacting. They choose their own battles. They find their own definitions of "safe, free and comfortable". And what about you? Could you be just fine as the religiously repressed Kara? Or the naive prostitute Macie? Perhaps Gary's problem seems small to you as well?

How about within yourself?

Are YOU comfortable and safe and free? 

Really?