Welcome to the new world order—after having trashed planet Earth, our next mission is to mine the Moon.

◊ By Ram Ramprasad

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We’ve already blunted our mountain tops, shaved off the green cover of this planet, fouled the fresh life-giving air, and turned our rivers and oceans into a gigantic garbage dumpster.

Every living species on this planet, except humans, a product of modern mechanistic education, gave back equally to Earth than what it took. It was a true barter – the waste of one species became food for the other.

On the contrary, humans have never engaged in give-and-take. As plunderers and conquerors, we now wonder and debate the reasons for climate change and Covid 19.

Welcome to the new world order—after having trashed planet Earth, our next mission is to mine the Moon.

Fasten your seatbelts, it is all being planned very soon by several companies with solid funding: Moon Express,

ispace, Blue Origin, Planetary Resources and Deep Space Industries, to name a few.

India, too, is not far behind. According to reports, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) plans to mine lunar dust to meet India’s energy needs by 2030.

In May 2020, the US signed and initiated the Artemis Accords, an outer space treaty that will also allow many countries to join the race to mine the moon, the most concerning aspect of the Accords.

HOW THE MOON IS CRUCIAL TO OUR EXISTENCE & WELLBEING
The moon has been the sustainer and stabiliser of Mother Earth. Any damage to the moon, the orbit of the Earth would tilt, with grave consequences.

How it would impact the several mysterious phenomena is unknown. Several cultures worship the moon. Our behaviour and physiology run on its 28-day cycle. There is a mystical connection between fertility, birth rate, reproductive/sexual behaviour, etc.

A few examples: Practice of farming or milking the cow was based on lunar cycles.

Farmers knew seeds sprouted with moonlight and it was responsible for plant growth. Cows gave more births during a full moon.

The fisherman knew the lunar clock influenced reproduction in fish. They never fished during a full moon due to the high tide.

Marine biologists know that moonlight is the primary trigger when hundreds of coral reefs in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef release their sperm and eggs in synchrony, increasing the probability of fertilisation.

The ornithologists knew that during a full moon, melatonin and corticosteroids levels varied significantly in birds.

In many cultures, especially in India, people fasted on the 11^th day of the moon cycle because of the high level of cosmic energy during this time. They had a deep understanding of the fluid effect of the moon on the body, including its effect on the pineal gland.

Furthermore, it was well known for ages that the mentally imbalanced behaved differently during full and new moon. A woman’s menstruation and reproduction was all linked to the moon cycle.

Due to the moon’s nocturnal activity, it is less researched. But, India has a deep-rooted knowledge in this area from a mystical, scientific, and an astrological perspective in its Vedic literature that demands more inquiry.

Six decades have passed since man landed on the moon. When Neil Armstrong was the first to step foot, his words “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” rang a sense of euphoria that there would be true scientific and exploratory research on the mysteries of the moon as it related to Earth.

Exploitation of resources never crossed anyone’s mind. To this day, many of the mysteries of the moon remain unsolved. Greed has become our new mantra.

DECLARE THE MOON A LIVING ENTITY TO SAVE IT

India declared the Ganga and Yamuna as living entities.

Australia declared the Yarra River as living, New Zealand the Whanganui River—the list continues.

The moon is homogeneous and undifferentiated; therefore, the entire moon is a living entity. We worship the moon; the sustainer, the stabiliser, the nurturer, and preserver of all life on Earth. It took our creator millions of years to create the perfect balance.

I don’t believe any scientist can answer how all the physiological phenomena on Earth would change even if we brought back 10 pounds of the moon’s precious minerals.

Several of the moon’s mysteries as it relates to Earth remain shrouded in mystery. We just don’t understand the moon and how it influences the Earth’s living and non-living beings.

It may be time to challenge the Artemis Accords.

To date, not a single individual, NGO, or the media has dared to declare the moon a living entity.

The black swan effect typically has its birth in the unnoticed, unexpected, and unchallenged human actions such as our current climate crisis, the 2008 financial crisis, Covid 19, etc.

The fate of the Moon (and consequently, the Earth) is in the hands of humanity. The concerned authorities, space law experts, nations, and individuals must challenge all the grand plans to mine the moon.

Let us declare the moon a living entity and save it from being plundered and tampered with!

Ram Ramprasad is the author of ‘Creating a Green and Cultural Economy’ and ‘Healthcare Reborn’.