The closest most of us will ever get to space is in a plane – not that close. The ocean, however, makes up most of the earth. Surrounded in all directions, that means you or I could conceivably be dumped at sea tomorrow if need be. The odds of being left for dead in space, however, are remote. It’s too far away and hard to get to for anyone to bother.
That raises the question: What’s scarier – the ocean or space? Below are some of my random thoughts on the subject.
Does bigger equal scarier?
Some would argue that being abandoned in space is scarier than the ocean because it is endless and bottomless. Think about it this way: If you were stranded alone in the middle of space or the ocean, would it really matter if it were endless or bottomless?
Ocean cruise potentially more dangerous than trip to space
I’ll bet anyone who’s anyone that’s ever thought of making someone “disappear” has considered taking them on a cruise. Never to outer space, though.
That’s because there are teams of scientists and engineers tracking every move a space shuttle and its crew make – right down to their bathroom breaks – with the ultimate goal of bringing them home safely (throw in the sterile environment and you could be doing a lot worse when it comes to your personal safety and hygiene).
All bets are off once you hit international waters on a cruise liner. You could take an ‘accidental’ dive off the side or get an explosive case of the Tobago Trots and there’s a good possibility no one would ever really know how or why.
At least in space if something terrible were to happen, the people in the command center back on earth would know what caused it.
On a cruise there could be any number of explanations for what happened, true or not – but all believable at sea because there’s likely no way to prove otherwise:
“According to Mr. Smith’s life insurance beneficiary – I mean loving travel companion – he jumped from the ship’s deck after learning he was out of complimentary drinks offered through his vacation package. He was subsequently swallowed in mid-air by a passing Pilot whale that leapt from the water in what was one of many dazzling displays of migratory mammal behavior that can be seen along our Alaskan coast tour.”
The ocean is scarier than outer space
I obviously have no qualified evidence, data or theories to back up that statement. I am not a marine biologist or an astronaut. I’m just a regular guy who if push came to shove would rather take his chances with a dry alien probe than be eaten by sharks or dragged to the darkest depths of the sea wrapped in the tentacles of a 33-foot-long prehistoric squid.
That’s not to say space isn’t home to fears and evils we can’t yet comprehend. It probably is. However, if and when creatures from other worlds start hatching out of our chests on earth, my thoughts on the subject will be the last thing on mine or anyone else’s mind.