Sometimes it takes a long trip to realize the value of what we have:
Buddhist tradition teaches its
followers to regard all life as precious. The astronauts who leave the earth
have also rediscovered this truth. One set of Russian cosmonauts described it
in this way: “We brought up small fish to the space station for certain
investigations. We were to be there three months. After about three weeks the
fish began to die. How sorry we felt for them! What we didn’t do to try to save
them! On earth we take great pleasure in fishing, but when you are alone and
far away from anything terrestrial, any appearance of life is especially
welcome. You see just how precious life is.” In this same spirit, one
astronaut, when his capsule landed, opened the hatch to smell the moist air of
earth. “I actually got down and put it to my cheek. I got down and kissed the
earth.”
--Jack Kornfield, A Path With
Heart
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