Our fragile Earth

Take an apple: 
this represents the world.  
Cut it into four quarters, vertically.  
Put three aside - they represent the earth's 
surface covered by water.  Slice the remaining 
quarter into eight slivers, and discard seven - 
these represent mountains,deserts etc. where 
agriculture is not possible.Peel the 
remaining sliver - that peel 
represents the earth's surface 
on which we depend for food, 
and for survival.

"When you go around it in an hour and a half, you begin to recognise that your identity is with that whole thing. And that makes a change.

You look down there, and you can't imagine how many borders and boundaries you cross, again and again and again, and you don't even see them. There you are - hundreds of people killing each other over some imaginary line that you're not even aware of, that you can't see. From where you see it, the thing is a whole, and its so beautiful. You wish you could take one person in each hand and say "Look at it from this perspective. What's important?"

You realise that on that small spot, that little blue and white thing, is everything that means anything to you. All of history and music and poetry and art and birth and love; tears, joy, games. All of it on that little spot out there that you can cover with your thumb." ... (Russell Schweickart. Apollo 1X astronaut)