If you were looking for an otherworldly spot to test what it might be like to live on another planet, the Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii would be a good choice. At least that is what NASA decided when they built a 1200-square-foot geodesic dome there and gave it the name HI-SEAS (“Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation”).
Scientists in the dome were cut off from the outside world. Food and other supplies were delivered at predetermined intervals. If the crew wanted to go outside, they had to wear pretend spacesuits and they were only allowed to venture a certain distance from the dome. NASA even established a communications delay of several seconds to simulate the time it would take radio signals to travel from Mars to Earth and vice versa. Since it first opened in 2013, HI-SEAS has proven the reliability of NASA’s systems and it has given insight into what it takes to live in space for long periods of time.
However, HI-SEAS did highlight one major problem in the system and that was the people! This was especially true in 2015 when a six-person crew spent an entire year living together. At first, everyone was excited and looked forward to getting to know one another. Eventually, though, disagreements arose. Some were annoyed that cups and plates were left in the common areas. Others complained about crew members who stayed up too late or got up too early. Everyone believed that their experiments deserved the most time in the various labs. Soon, factions began to form, and, by the end of the year, it was obvious that placing six strangers from various cultures into a small environment was a huge challenge to overcome.
It is easy to put yourself first. It is logical to assume that your way is best. It is tempting to see things from your perspective alone. In fact, it is our natural default to think about ourselves first.
However, Godly people must change that internal thought pattern. As Philippians 2:3 says “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves”.
That is the real challenge.
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