Sixty-five years ago, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to make it into space and the first to experience what scientists now call the “overview effect.” This change occurs when people see the world from far above and notice that it’s a place where “borders are invisible, where racial, religious and economic strife are nowhere to be seen.” The overview effect makes man’s squabbles with one another seem incredibly petty and presents the planet as it truly is, one interconnected organism. In a compelling interview with Big Think, former NASA astronaut, author, humanitarian and CEO of ispace-U.S. Ron Garan explains how, if more of us developed this planetary perspective, we could fix much of what ails humanity and the planet. Garan has spent 178 days in space and traveled more than 71 million miles in 2,842 orbits. From high above, he realized that the planet is a lot more fragile than he thought. What Garan saw from up there changed everything “When I looked out the window of the International Space Station, I saw the paparazzi-like flashes of lightning storms, I saw dancing curtains of auroras that seemed so close it was as if we could reach out and touch them. And I saw the unbelievable thinness of our planet’s atmosphere. In that moment, I was hit with the sobering realization that that paper-thin layer keeps every living thing on our planet alive,” Garan said in the video. “I saw an iridescent biosphere teeming with life,” he continues. “I didn’t see the economy. But since our human-made systems treat everything, including the very life-support systems of our planet, as the wholly owned subsidiary of the global economy, it’s obvious from the vantage point of space that we’re living a lie.” It was at that moment he realized that humanity needs to reevaluate its priorities. “We need to move from thinking ‘economy, society, planet’ to ‘planet, society, economy.’ That’s when we’re going to continue our evolutionary process,” he added. The earth is in our hands. Canva Photos. Garan says that we are paying a very “high price” as a civilization for our inability to develop a more planetary perspective and that it’s a big reason why we’re failing to solve many of our problems. Even though our economic activity may improve quality of life on one end, it’s also disastrous for the planet that sustains our lives. It’s like cutting off our nose to spite our face. He wasn’t the only one moved by the view Actor William Shatner, who spent years playing the iconic Captain James T. Kirk on the original Star Trek series, had a similar experience to Garan’s when he went to space for real in October 2021: “It was among the strongest feelings of grief I have ever encountered,” Shatner wrote. “The contrast between the vicious coldness of space and the warm nurturing of Earth below filled me with overwhelming sadness. Every day, we are confronted with the knowledge of further destruction of Earth at our hands: the extinction of animal species, of flora and fauna … things that took five billion years to evolve, and suddenly we will never see them again because of the interference of mankind.” “We’re not going to have peace on Earth until we recognize the basic fact of the interrelated structure of all reality,” Garan said. And yet Garan still has hope for us However dire the situation looks from the surface of Earth, the astronaut has hope that we can collectively evolve in consciousness and wake up and embrace a larger reality. “And when we can evolve beyond a two-dimensional ‘us versus them’ mindset, and embrace the true multi-dimensional reality of the universe that we live in, that’s when we’re going to no longer be floating in darkness … and it’s a future that we would all want to be a part of. That’s our true calling.” This article originally appeared four years ago. It has been updated. The post Astronaut shares the profound ‘big lie’ he realized after seeing the Earth from space appeared first on Upworthy.

The Earth is such a large place with so many species of plants and animals; it’s impossible to see and experience everything in one lifetime. Lucky for us, we live in a time when people have cameras in their pockets and constantly take photos and videos. Even more exciting is that we can share those images with us instantly on social media. Russ Robinson and Kiersa Koepnick were out for a helicopter ride in Alaska when they noticed a bear just hanging out by himself on the mountain, minding his business. But how’d he get all the way up there? View this post on Instagram A post shared by Russ Robinson (@rusrobin) That Bear Had to Do Some Pretty Serious Mountain Climbing Yes, we understand that bears are made for climbing mountains, but if this guy walked up here alone, no wonder he needs to hibernate for a few months. Russ and Kiersa shared several videos of the brown bear hanging out by himself, just enjoying the snow. “Imagine working this hard to get up here and discovering the final boss almost at the top,” someone wrote. That comment right there is enough to keep us off a mountain, but we’ll enjoy the view from Russ and Kiersa’s helicopter. Their video brought out a lot of other jokes, too. “Ohhhh my god. He looks like he just woke up from a bender and doesn’t know how he got there,” someeoin asked. We can 100% hear that kid’s voice reading this comment. “Can I pet that dawg?” While seeing a bear on a mountain like this is pretty rare, it’s not that unusual, according to some people. “Epic!!!!! I was almost to the top of Pioneer Peak and saw one. Most don’t realize these bad mamajamas go that high!!!!” A nature enthusiast shares. Such a big world, and yet not even big enough for a bear to get a moment of peace on a mountain to be with his thoughts. There’s always somebody watching. This story’s featured image can be found here

Gen Z takes a lot of criticism. They’re called antisocial, emotionally immature, and phone-obsessed. They’re even called lazy. But there’s one thing you can’t deny about Gen Z: that, as a whole, they’re done pretending they’re willing to just go along with the status quo. Young people are challenging everything, from pop culture to work culture, and nothing reflects the tide they’re working to change better than this year’s graduation ceremonies. 2026 commencement speakers totally miss the mark with young grads First up was Gloria Caulfield, Vice President of Strategic Alliances for Tavistock Development Company. She spoke at a commencement ceremony at the University of Central Florida (UCF) and got off to a rough start when she proclaimed, “The rise of artificial intelligence is the next industrial revolution.” A shower of boos from graduating students began raining down on her. It took Caulfield off guard and, after a chuckle, she needed a moment to gather her thoughts. “OK, I struck a chord. May I finish?” “Only a few years ago, AI was not a factor in our lives,” she continued. For this, the students cheered. As the speech went on, the boos only grew louder every time Caulfield mentioned the exciting capabilities of AI. She was visibly flustered by the response. Ex-Google CEO fares even worse in controversial address Then there was Eric Schmidt, who delivered remarks to graduates at the University of Arizona. The 71-year-old tech billionaire, and former CEO of Google, was already in the students’ poor graces due to recent allegations of sexual abuse. When he, too, began extolling the exciting virtues of artificial intelligence, the stadium full of grads let him have it. In part of his monologue, he said: “There is a fear in your generation that… the machines are coming, the jobs are evaporating, that the climate is breaking, that politics is fractured, and that you are inheriting a mess that you did not create.” He then blamed social media for amplifying the fear and uncertainty, and advocated for young people to help shape artificial intelligence in order to solve these problems—to yet another chorus of boos. This is incredible. Artificial intelligence getting booed out of the stadium in any commencement speech it’s mentioned. Maybe telling college students AI was taking their jobs wasn’t the best strategy. Must watch —> pic.twitter.com/35UMSz5T5a— Alex Kantrowitz (@Kantrowitz) May 17, 2026 Schmidt and Caulfield did not appear to get the memo that Gen Z is not thrilled with AI, overall. Though a good number of young people do admit to using it from time to time, negative sentiment among Gen Zers has risen sharply in recent years. Many feel anxious or even flat-out angry about the advancements of artificial intelligence. To them, it’s not an exciting tool to boost the bottom line the way it is for CEOs and VPs. It’s a real threat to their futures. In that sense, the speeches from this year’s commencement speakers have been shockingly tone deaf. Best-selling author booed for criticizing younger generations Jonathan Haidt, the massively best-selling author behind The Anxious Generation, has been a leading voice in the movement to protect kids from phones, social media, and technology; and to give them more independence as they grow up. He’s even gone so far as to call Gen Z coddled, soft, and fragile. Haidt has also attacked universities, claiming they insulate students from challenging ideas with ‘safe spaces and trigger warnings,’ and been vocally against diversity and inclusion initiatives. It turns out, Gen Z graduates weren’t super excited to hear him speak at their graduation. They let him know exactly how they felt with loud boos during his address at NYU graduation. The boos represent a fascinating shift Multi-millionaires and billionaires used to represent the pinnacle of the American Dream. Tech CEOs and Silicon Valley bigshots have been popular choices at commencement ceremonies for years. They’re able to speak as people who “made it” and reached ultimate success. But young people aren’t falling for it. Gen Z is not impressed with wealth. They’re acutely aware of the growing wealth gap between the older generations and themselves. They don’t face an easy path coming out of school, with huge inflation, stagnant wages, skyrocketing house prices, and growing personal debt. AI, for whatever positive advances it has made, has largely been a main driver of layoffs that have put more money into the pockets of the 1%. It’s hard to blame young people for not wanting to listen to a billionaire lecture them on the importance of hard work, or for not wanting to cheer a technology that might make their dream job obsolete. You also have to respect that Gen Z isn’t willing to sit there politely and clap for a man who called them coddled and emotionally fragile. As they prepare to embark into the next phase of adulthood, Gen Z faces tough—seemingly impossible—challenges. But if these viral moments have taught us anything, it’s that the kids will go down swinging. The post Why college graduates are booing out-of-touch commencement speakers off the stage appeared first on Upworthy.

Teaching kids how to clean up after themselves is one of the hardest things to do as a parent…mainly because it’s difficult to make taking out the trash or washing the dishes exciting. Jayne Ann Osborne, the creator behind MommingonPurpose, deserves love from parents everywhere because she took an incredibly icky chore, cleaning the toilet, and turned it into an activity her kids enjoyed. “Ready to teach your kids how to level up their toilet cleaning skills? You’re just a dry-erase marker game away!” Osborne opens her video. To teach her kids how to clean the toilet, Osborne first disinfected it herself, so her young kids wouldn’t be exposed to any germs. Then, she drew all over it with a dry-erase marker that wipes off easily with a wet rag. She told her kids that all the marks on the toilet were germs and that they all had to be wiped away.  Mom has a fun way of teaching her kids to clean the toilet “By scrubbing the dry-erase marker off, they are learning all the nooks and crannies of the toilet in a way that is fun, challenging, and memorable. Without the ick,” she captions the video. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jayne Ann Osborne (@mommingonpurpose) The dry-erase marker game works well because it teaches multiple lessons. Firstly, there are many hidden spots on a toilet that need cleaning and may not be noticed at first glance. Secondly, a toilet should be thoroughly cleaned because germs have many places to hide. After the job was complete, she gave her kids a prize depending on how well they wiped away all the evil germs. Microscopic bacteria. Credit: TrueCreatives/Canva Be careful when drawing on the lid Osborne does have a big note for everyone who tries this at home: “Keep a little isopropyl alcohol handy in case the dry-erase marker scribbles leave anything behind.” Editor’s note: I tried this on my own toilet, and it took a little soap and water to get the dry-erase marker off the plastic toilet lid. It doesn’t wipe down as easily as porcelain.  Someone cleaning a toilet. Credit: PixelShot/Canva Shifrah Combiths, a writer at Apartment Therapy, tried the toilet game and made sure her children understood the importance of cleaning the entire bowl. “The kids were exuberant about wiping off the marker, and we had to make sure they didn’t scrub the toilet tank lid too hard. My husband was worried it might crack! I also let them discover and wipe down all the marker lines as they found them, but I made sure after they were done, to explain to them that when cleaning a dirty toilet for real, it’s very important to start with the cleanest areas on the toilet and then work their way to the dirtiest. Of course, this only teaches them about the outside and lid of the toilet and not the bowl, but it’s still a useful lesson,” Combiths wrote. Combiths also had a little difficulty getting the marker off the toilet lid. “The marker wiped perfectly clean from the porcelain surfaces of the toilet, but left marks behind on the plastic lid. Osborne recommends using isopropyl alcohol if this happens, and a Magic Eraser got most of it off in our case,” she wrote. Osborne’s toilet-cleaning hack is a great way to teach kids how to clean one of the dirtiest and trickiest parts of the house, but she also has a great lesson for parents. With a little creativity and a sense of humor, just about anything can be made to be fun, even cleaning the toilet. The post Mom draws all over her toilet to teach her kids a lesson on cleanliness appeared first on Upworthy.

Meeting new people is never easy, especially when it comes to making friends as an adult. From engaging conversations to body language, a lot goes into nailing a good first impression. And thanks to color psychology, your wardrobe also matters. Specifically, the colors you choose to wear can also impact how people perceive you. “Research in color psychology consistently shows that colors influence first impressions, emotional responses, and social perception,” therapist Sonia Panchyshyn tells Upworthy. Krista Walker, LCSW, J.D., and clinical director at The Ohana, adds “Research has found that people tend to form quick impressions based on color and other visual cues. The brain tends to associate certain colors with environmental or emotional cues.” The color that conveys approachability If you want to appear more approachable to others, there is one color you should try wearing: orange. “Warm tones like orange are often associated with friendliness, energy, and openness, which can make someone appear more approachable,” says Panchyshyn. A 2025 review on colors and emotion confirmed that light colors are associated with more positive emotions than dark colors. Orange was specifically linked with “positive, high arousal emotions.” @masha.kaptilina Part 6 | Orange Lovers, is this correct?? Comment what colour I should do next?? #psychology #psychologyofcolours #orange #fyp #foryoupage Psychology Colour Psychology Orange Personality Test Psychology Test ♬ original sound – Masha Kaptilina In another study, orange was correlated with increased energy and attention levels. “Orange tends to communicate friendliness, warmth and energy. It’s associated with social connection. This can make a person appear more inviting,” says Walker. Additional colors for approachability If orange just isn’t your color, there are a couple more hues worth trying. Blue As communication expert Vanessa Van Edwards previously shared, she chose to wear blue to come off as more “confident, knowledgeable and calm” for her viral TED Talk, which she notes helped her feel “more calm and more calm to the audience.” Walker also tells Upworthy, “Blue is connected with emotional safety and trust. This may make the person seem more approachable.” Green Green is also an approachable color to try. “So much research shows that green reminds us of a lush spring. So, if you want to be seen as fresh and new, try green,” says Edwards. Susan Albers, PsyD, a psychologist for Cleveland Clinic, also explained, “Studies on the psychology of the color green indicate that it tends to trigger a sense of calmness and relaxation. This is because green is the dominant color in nature.” Red According to Edwards, if you want to be seen as “high energy,” try red. “When people are passionate, when they’re feeling excited, they often blush. So red is the most high-energy color,” she shares. Light pink Color analyst and founder of Your Color Style Jen Thoden explained that “blushing” colors (light pinks) give an “approachable, friendly vibe.” She explains that in professional settings when you may be wearing a navy suit (“which can be unapproachable, maybe a little bit more serious, a little bit more authoritative”), pairing it with a light pink can help you appear “a little friendlier and soften the look.” And as a reminder, clothing color is not the only factor that contributes to approachability. “Other things to seem more approachable besides color include eye contact, a genuine smile, and relaxed shoulders,” Walker tells Upworthy. “Overall, people are generally more approachable when they feel confident and comfortable compared to what color they are wearing.” The post Want to appear more approachable? The surprising color to wear is orange. appeared first on Upworthy.