5.0 Becoming Alien
The cohesion and unwavering cooperation of the many individuals over a prolonged period of time in a confined space will test our resilience to the limit and a fundamental change in who we think we are and what we wish to become will require the reconditioning of our perception of self.
As we leave our earthly home behind, the mindset of our intrepid explores will be challenged beyond any challenge faced before, and our ties to this world will be stretched to breaking as we contemplate a future elsewhere.
Although our intent is to colonize other worlds the realization of those dreams will require a fundamental change in our perception of us. We are humans of earth and as long as we see ourselves as such we will not be able to entirely accept the conditions of the new realities we strive to achieve.
Carrying our humanity to other worlds will hamper our development into a space fairing species as our history is a window on our nature. The way we treat each other, the inequalities and division we now experience can only be detrimental in the fragile environment of a new colony on a barren planet.
Reconditioning ourselves to become colonial beings with a single minded purpose can be accomplished through this fundamental change before travel. The change required includes becoming a single community of mind and purpose, the conditioning of human nature to tolerate a closed communal environment, along with a re-evaluation of the values and concepts of the human experience, and perceptions of self and the concepts of governance and civilization and of individual worth and purpose.
5.1 Community of
mind and purpose
A single minded approach within a colonial development team may be something we believe we have but in reality we continue to be distracted individuals. The distractions we experience are unseen by us as they are routine and go without notice in our daily lives. Such daily distractions interfere with our dedication to the ultimate goal and prevent us from becoming a solid community of mind and purpose.
A community on earth consists of many individuals with differing goals, differing life aspirations and expectations, and external pressures that shape our days. This individuality is a distraction from the communal purpose and the alleviation of such distractions will mould a cohesive single purposed community. NEEMO and other current facilities are just not up to the task of “mass” alteration of human behavioral patterns and conditions.
The development of a more mission specific facility is needed.
5.2 Conditioning
Human Nature
Human nature is written in human history and human intelligence and knowledge is the means used to fulfill human desire and curiosity. As we reach outward the history of man will give us a glimpse of our future in the stars. To break the bonds of Earth on our explorers and interplanetary colonial endeavors we must first condition human nature to these aspirations.
Technology alone will not prepare us for space flight and this document provides insights to methodologies and experiential conditioning of the human condition in preparation for the rigors of prolonged space flight and our colonial aspirations.
Although we are a species experienced in stepping into near space with orbital and lunar excursions our predilection towards interplanetary exploration will be hampered by human history.
5.3 Values and
concepts of the human experience
After millennia of trying to survive as a species and as an individual, the sum total of our human experience has engrained into us certain traits that serve this purpose well. Those very same traits and experiences do not serve us well in confinement as they are tuned to an earthly existence where we roam free within our environment.
Modification of traits such as the territorial imperative and territorial imperialism of the individual and state should be conditioned out and replaced with a single territorial trait of unity.
5.4 Perceptions
of self
Self is defined as an individual person as the object of its own reflective consciousness. This reference is necessarily subjective, thus self is a reference by a subject to the same subject[1]” OR “the sense of self is defined as the way a person thinks about and views his or her traits, beliefs, and purpose within the world. It's a truly dynamic and complicated concept because it covers both the 'inner' and 'outer' self. ... When these two come together, your sense of self begins.[2]
Our concepts of self unfortunately include selfishness, being self centered, along with over 300 characteristic traits all pointing inward to one self. In a closed space with a small team of professional people these “self” traits can be subdued for a period of time in a cooperative effort to complete a task.
It is much more difficult to regulate our individual traits in a closed environment where self and individualism are surrounded by the needs of many more than just a small team of professionals. Our human experience wells up to be recognized as self amid the societal demands for cooperative adherence to a single unifying necessity, survival.
Earth based colonial conditioning and surrender of self to the society of colonialism is the first part into becoming Martian, a state which should be achieved before launch.
5.5 Concepts of
governance and civilization
Earth based governance and civilization become cumbersome in a colonial state simply because we cannot carry enough people to make it possible.
Businesses have multiple layers of executive and management branches as does most governments of earth. The human resources to attain such governance in a colonial state are cost and resource prohibitive.
Currently, there are over 190 forms of government on earth and not a single one is conducive to a planetary colonial structure. General forms of governance can be listed as:
Adhocracy, Anarchy, Anocracy, Aristocracy, Autocracy, Band society, Banana Republic, Bureaucracy, Capitalism, Chartered Company, Colony, Communism, Confederation, Corporatocracy, Corporate republic, Cybersynacy, Dependent Territory, Despotism, Dictatorship, Ergatocracy, Federalism, Federal Monarchy, Feudalism, Holacracy, Ineptocracy, Kakistocracy Leninism, Maoism, Marxism, Meritocracy, Nomocracy, Non-Self-Governing Territories, Ochlocracy, Protectorate, Timocracy and Totalitarian.
An earth governed, Martian colonial government, would be subject to decisions made by people so far away that they would have no concept of what it is like and how their decisions affect daily operations of the colony. Business decisions would have the same detrimental affects on colonial operations. It is for these reasons that my second paper on Mars as an independent state was written.
Our concepts of civilization and governance are based on millennia of wandering open spaces
on Earth and forming small ever expanding communities. Martian colonialism and civilization would be based on restricted and confining bubble living in a very hostile environment. The human experiences of Earth would not serve us well in a colonial bubble. Our concepts of governance and civilization would by necessity have to be different on Martian soil and of a form acceptable to both governance and business interests.
5.6 Concepts of
individual worth and purpose
Individual worth and purpose on earth are often associated with wealth and stature in the community. Human nature has been conditioned to achieve the security of such things by looking inward towards self rather than outwards towards community.
Such concepts applied in a hostile environment where air and water and food are a precious commodity of questionable supply prohibits such hoarding of a society’s resources. The concepts of individual worth and purpose therefore need to change before we go. New measures of individual worth and purpose would need to be developed and instilled as part of the modification of the human condition.
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