Ep. 90 - Frank White: What the Experiences of Astronauts Can Teach Us About Life, Loss, and the Universe

Dear Life with Christina Rasmussen

There are some people that come by your life and you realize that they are not only special because of what their impact has been on our world, but also who they are as a human.

Since Frank White and I recorded this conversation way back in August of 2019, he has become a dear friend of mine.

Just last week I had the extraordinary opportunity to participate in the live broadcast of a Celestis Memorial Spaceflight, where we launched and released more than 100 souls into the universe. It was truly a highlight for me, as someone that has always been obsessed with space to be on that broadcast with so many experts and visionaries that I admire.

My goodness, what a different world we were experiencing back in the summer of 2019! We had no idea that in less than a year we’d be in the midst of a global pandemic, economic and social justice crises. That our world would feel unrecognizable in so many ways.

My conversation with Franks feels more timely than ever as the pandemic and other world events remind us of our interconnectedness and interdependence with each other and all living things on this planet. The perspective he provides and the reminder we are all crew members on space ship earth is so important.

“When you can see your life as a larger, whole system it all starts to make sense.” ~ Frank White

When you listen (or re-listen) to this episode I want you to remember one thing, when we are able to have a perspective that is different from our unique point of view. When we can see the world from really far away and when we can see our loss and our grief and our trauma and our obstacles from a very different vantage point those difficulties and tragedies change just a little bit. This shift in perspective can make a world of difference when it comes to healing after loss and tragedy.

In short, Frank is about space. His passion and need to understand the feeling that astronauts get when they are up in space and looking down on earth, they feel this awe and connection to everything. He has been mesmerized by that feeling for most of his life and career. His book the Overview Effect has been here in my home with me for years and I actually wrote about the overview effect a couple of years ago and shared it with all of you.

Frank is here to spread light and new bigger perspectives to the world and I am forever grateful for this. And here is your homework for tonight after you listen to this episode. Go outside tonight, and look at the stars!

More About Frank White

Frank White is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College, a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and a Rhodes Scholar. He coined the term "Overview Effect" and has written three books on the subject, as well as several books on other topics. He considers himself a "space philosopher" and advocates the creation of a new philosophy of space exploration and development.

You can connect with Frank via his website or Twitter.

Things We Mention In This Episode

• Website: Celestis Memorial Space Flights
• Book: The Overview Effect by Frank White
• Book: The Cosma Hypothesis: Implications of the Overview Effect by Frank White
• Film: Overview
• Podcast Episode: Dear Life Podcast Episode #1 with Nicole Stott
• Physicist and Space Activist: Gerard K. O’Neill
• Book: The Golden Book of Astronomy
• Non-profit Organization: Space Studies Institute
• Organization: Space for Humanity
• Book: Second Firsts by Christina Rasmussen
• Book: Where Did You Go? by Christina Rasmussen
• Newsletter - Message In a Bottle: Sign up for Christina’s weekly inspiration

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