Living Beyond Earth: How to Think Like a Galactic Citizen

Introduction: Shifting Perspectives Beyond Earth

Time and Age: Beyond Earth Years

Right now, humans measure age in Earth years, but this unit is completely arbitrary beyond the orbit of our planet. A single year, as we know it, is simply the time it takes Earth to complete one full orbit around the Sun—365.2422 days, a value refined through precise astronomical observations (Source: International Astronomical Union, IAU 2000 Resolutions).

If you were on or in orbit of another planet, this measurement would not make sense. The writer of this article is 54 Earth years old, yet:

• On Mercury, which completes an orbit in 88 Earth days, the writer would be 223 years old.
• On Mars, where a year is 687 Earth days, he would be 28 years old.
• On Jupiter, which takes 11.86 Earth years to complete an orbit, he’d be only 4 years old.

A More Universal Measurement of Age

Since age is relative to planetary motion, a better system would be to measure age in Solar Cycles while specifying the planet of reference:

• Instead of saying, “I am 54 years old,” I would say, “I am 54 Sol cycles old on Earth.”
• If you lived on Mars, I would say “I am 28 Sol cycles old on Mars.”
• This method ensures universality across planetary settlements.

This shift forces us to recognize that Earth’s way of keeping time is not universal—it is just one planetary standard among many.

Supporting Scientific Evidence

• NASA’s Planetary Fact Sheets confirm that each planet has a different orbital period, making age planet-dependent (Source: NASA/JPL).
• The IAU’s astronomical constants define the precise duration of an Earth year at 365.2422 days, showing that even Earth’s own timekeeping is an approximation (Source: IAU 2000 Resolutions).

Reframing Distance: Leaving Miles and Kilometers Behind

We measure distance in miles and kilometers, but these units are meaningless outside Earth. The only relevant measures in a galactic context are:

• Astronomical Units (AU): 1 AU is the average distance between Earth and the Sun (~93 million miles). But this is still Earth-centric.
• Light-years: The distance light travels in one year (~5.88 trillion miles).
• Parsecs: A unit often used in astronomy, where 1 parsec = 3.26 light-years.

A More Practical Approach for Daily Life

Since humans haven’t yet left Earth, light-years might feel too vast for everyday use. A simpler way to think galactically while keeping things practical is:

• Instead of saying “The Moon is 238,900 miles away,” say, “The Moon is 1.28 light-seconds away.”
• Instead of “It’s 500 miles from New York to Chicago,” say, “It’s 0.000002 AU from New York to Chicago.”

This shift makes Earthly distances feel insignificant on a cosmic scale—just as a galactic citizen would think.

Supporting Scientific Evidence

The AU and light-year systems have been used in astronomy for decades. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) formally defines these as the standard distance measurements in astrophysics (Source: IAU Resolutions on Astronomical Constants, 2012).

Rethinking the Calendar: What Year Is It, Really?

Our current calendar is Earth-centric, based on a 12-month system tied to the Moon, Earth’s seasons, and a random point in time, based on a Diety’s birth. But in space, the concept of a “year” or “month” tied to Earth’s motion becomes obsolete.

A more galactic system could be based on:

• Solar cycles (years counted from humanity’s emergence instead of a religious calendar).
• A galactic reference point (e.g., time measured based on the Solar System’s movement through the Milky Way).
• Earth’s true age: Humans have existed for 12,000 solar cycles on Earth, so instead of saying the year is 2025, we could say it’s 12025.

Supporting Scientific Evidence

• Anthropological studies date human civilization back at least 12,000 years, with the oldest known settlements like Göbekli Tepe in Turkey confirming organized human activity during this period (Source: Klaus Schmidt, German Archaeological Institute).

Language: Breaking Free from Earth-Centric Terms

Many of our words are tied only to Earth, making them useless in space. A true galactic society would need to rethink:

• Sunrise & Sunset → Should be star-rise & star-set (since other planets have multiple suns).
• Days & Nights → Should be rotational periods (since time perception changes on other planets).
• Years → Should be orbital cycles (since each planet has a different year length).

Supporting Scientific Evidence

• Exoplanet studies show that many planets experience no day/night cycle due to tidal locking (Source: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Exoplanet Habitability Study). However, it should be mentioned here that tidally locked planets would be very difficult for humans to live on, given the physical factors of lack of planetary rotation.

Cultural and Philosophical Shifts

Right now, we define intelligence, morality, and social systems based on human standards. But a true galactic civilization would have to:

• Accept non-carbon-based life as intelligent (silicon-based, energy-based, AI).
• Rethink ethics and laws to accommodate species with different biology.
• Move beyond Earth-based beauty standards, as they are tied to human evolution.

Supporting Scientific Evidence

• Scientists at NASA and SETI have proposed the idea of alternative biochemistries, suggesting that life beyond Earth could be based on elements like silicon or ammonia instead of carbon (Source: Dr. Steven Benner, NASA Astrobiology Institute).

Galactic Citizenship: What Comes After Being Human?

Right now, we define people by nationality—American, Chinese, Brazilian—but once we colonize other planets, these labels will be irrelevant.

A person born on Mars will not think of themselves as “American” or “Chinese.” They will be Martian first. Over time:

• Earth’s nationalities will disappear.
• People will identify by which star system they are from.
• Eventually, humanity might identify as Solarians (from the Solar System), rather than “Earthlings.”

Supporting Scientific Evidence

• The Outer Space Treaty (1967) states that no country can claim sovereignty over celestial bodies, meaning future space settlers will likely belong to a planetary or interstellar government (Source: United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs).

Conclusion: Becoming True Galactic Citizens

If we wish to truly embrace our future in space, we must shift our Earth-centric thinking and redefine age, time, distance, language, culture, and identity to fit a galactic standard.

Only then can we truly call ourselves a galactic species.

Note

This article blends scientific research, speculative scenarios, and examples from science fiction to engage readers in an immersive exploration of the possibilities of Science Fiction. While scientific findings provide a foundation, the imaginative elements of science fiction allow us to contemplate extraordinary possibilities.

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