When you view Earth from space, you can’t see any borders. Heck, you can’t even see humans!
Borders and nations are just an invention, an artificial concept. They are not natural laws. I understand why we have them, but can’t we do better?
Our world is becoming more global every year. The internet, global trade, air travel, space travel, open source, cryptocurrencies.
Why not have a global flag? (If we must keep flags at all.)
In fact, the idea is not new.
I fell in love with the proposal by designer Oskar Pernefeldt: The International Flag of Planet Earth:
When humans go to space, e.g. to the moon or other planets, why should we plant a specific national flag? Why not The Flag of Planet Earth?
When SpaceX launches a rocket, why display the USA flag? Why not The Flag of Planet Earth? (Alongside a “Made in California” text, if needed.)
When SpaceX launched the Tesla Roadster into space, they included “Made on Earth by humans”, not “Made in the USA”. It’s a great start.
The Flag of Planet Earth is a powerful symbol. Something that brings us closer together, instead of driving us apart.
Why not say “I live in Basel, Earth” instead of “Basel, Switzerland”? Why not start using the Flag of Planet Earth alongside the national flags, to get the process started?
All it takes is someone bold to start. Why not someone who owns a private rocket company? Why not a forward-thinking nation such as Singapore?
Why not?
What do you think? Let me know on Twitter.
