Everything is one – We are all connected

I was in Nanaimo in late January to participate in the winter convocation ceremonies of Vancouver Island University.  This university offers a variety of certificate, diploma, undergraduate and master degree programs on campuses in Nanaimo, Powell River, Cowichan and Parksville-Qualicum.  Under the leadership of President Ralph Nilson, VIU is well known for having close cultural, social, economic and educational ties to the communities that it serves, including the indigenous and international communities.  Ralph and his faculty members ‘get’ community engagement.

Shawn Atleo, the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, is the Chancellor of Vancouver Island University.  I based my remarks to the graduating students on a discussion that I had with Mr. Atleo last year.  Here is my convocation address.  I entitled it ‘Everything is one; we are all connected.’

Bob

Good afternoon!

Congratulations to our graduates.  I know that life has been hectic for you during these last months before graduation.  You have studied hard and succeeded.

A few months ago I had an interesting conversation with Chancellor Shawn Atleo.  Chancellor Atleo introduced me to a phrase “Hishuk – ish – tsawalk”.  This Nuu-chah-nulth saying means “Everything is one; we are all connected.”

The phrase expresses the sentiment that the universe is an integrated and orderly whole.  All living things – humans, plants, and animals – form part of this whole.

The phrase resonated with me.  My conversation with your Chancellor caused me to reflect on my two spaceflights.  My missions aboard the space shuttle and the International Space Station taught me valuable life lessons.  Allow me this afternoon to share with you a couple of those lessons.

The first lesson from space is about appreciating the big picture.  When we weren’t working, my crew’s favourite activity was to view the Earth through the spacecraft windows.  Our home planet viewed from above is gloriously beautiful.  Deserts come in a hundred shades of colour and textures.  A thunderstorm is a mesmerizing light show.  Mountain ranges, erupting volcanos and barrier reefs are testaments to the power of nature.

As time in orbit passed, my eyes became adept at perceiving the finer details in the planetary landscape below.  At the limits of my visual acuity, I could just discern human-made objects such as bridges and airports.  But I was emotionally moved when I noted for the first time damage that has been inflicted on the environment by human activity.  For example,

• China perpetually covered by a blanket of brown smog,
• Ships discharging their bilge tanks into the ocean leaving an ugly oil stain in their wake,
• Topsoil eroding down the denuded hillsides of Madagascar, choking off the river valleys below; and this topsoil leaving the island nation for all time with the river outflow into the ocean.

I recognized that our home planet is fragile.  An alarmingly thin veil of atmosphere around Earth is all that shields us from outer space’s hard vacuum, solar radiation and temperature extremes.

Gazing beyond the horizon I saw nothing but empty black void.  We are alone for hundreds of millions of kilometers. Within our solar system, Earth is a solitary oasis of life.

I returned home from space an environmentalist with a global outlook.  Every human being would benefit from this orbital perspective of Earth.  Seeing the big picture reinforced my feeling of humility and sense of planetary stewardship.

The second lesson from space is about connections.  The environment outside a spacecraft is alien to anything on Earth.  Accordingly, the technical systems inside a spacecraft that are needed to support astronaut life are complex.

To understand and manage this technical complexity, I like to think of a spacecraft as a collection of interconnected systems.  The design of the International Space Station, for instance, includes thermal control, electrical power, life support, navigation, communications and robotics.

Last month a flow control valve in a pump failed aboard the International Space Station.  The failure of this single valve resulted in the loss of half of the external cooling on the Station.  Electrical power needed to be re-routed and closely managed.  Scientific research was curtailed since only high priority power loads could be sustained.  The launch of a cargo spaceship to the Station was postponed.  Two risky space walks were performed over the December holidays to fix the problem.  All of this because one valve failed.

The point I wish to make is that each spacecraft system is connected to and interacts with several others.  No system operates independently.  A small problem in one system can have major consequences throughout the Station.

Life on Earth mimics life in space.  Having flown in space, I now see a world of interconnections and interdependencies.  Ecosystems are everywhere – natural, technical, economic, social and cultural ecosystems.  No single system operates alone.  A problem somewhere in the world often has effects that ripple throughout global society.

For example, consider Earth’s ecosystem.  Our natural ecosystem relies upon finely-tuned interactions among land, oceans, atmosphere, the freshwater cycle, flora and fauna.  It’s much more complex than the life support system of any spacecraft.  An alteration in one part of the ecosystem could have impacts on the other side of the planet.  The clearing of the Amazon rainforest affects the atmosphere of the entire planet.  A leak of radioactivity from a failed nuclear reactor affects communities half a world away.  Earth’s ecosystem is intricate and interconnected.

Consider the human body.  Failure of the beta cells in the pancreas puts a patient at risk for serious diseases affecting the heart and blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, nerves and teeth.  All because one group of cells can no longer produce insulin.

The financial world is another ecosystem.  It features complex relationships between bankers, consumers, regulators, shareholders and governments.  The collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008 kicked off a perfect storm of events that almost brought down the world’s financial system.

Everything is one; we are all connected.

Why do I speak of the big picture and interconnections?  What does all this mean to new graduates of Vancouver Island University?  As you embark on your new careers, certainly focus on the responsibilities of your new jobs.  Pursue excellence in all that you do.

But amidst all your upcoming career busyness, find time to reflect on the big picture.  Continue to read and study.  Stay in touch with your professors.  Peer through a microscope, gaze through a telescope, climb to the top of a mountain.  Dedicate regular time to be alone with your thoughts.

Be aware of the ecosystems around you, and of your connections within them.  The connections:

• between your individual job assignments and the global agenda,
• between the present and the future,
• between the short-term and the long-term, and even
• between the mind and the spirit.

The Nuu-chah-nulth nation see a holistic relationship between the physical and the spiritual worlds.  Chancellor Atleo told me, “Bob, we need to shorten the connection between the heart and the mind.” 

I support human spaceflight because it provides an opportunity to thoughtfully look back at our home planet.  It helps us appreciate the natural ecosystem and humanity’s responsibility to sustain it.

I support Vancouver Island University.  Your university sees the connections between the economic, social, educational, environmental and cultural needs of the communities that it serves and the curriculum that it teaches.

We desperately need your new skills; but we also need young leaders who understand the big picture.

We do not work in isolation.  By considering the impacts of job roles on local and global communities, society may even be able to anticipate and solve problems before they happen, rather than react to crises when it may be too late.  Now wouldn’t that be a wonderful world.

Thank you for the invitation to be with you today.  Thank you for the honour that you have bestowed on me.  I see awesome potential seated in this theatre.  It is inspiring to consider the management, science, technology, trades and applied technology talent that is about to be unleashed.  The impact of your newly acquired knowledge and skills will benefit your employers and your communities.

Hishuk  ish  tsawalk.  Everything is one; we are all connected.

Congratulations on a job well done.  God’s speed.