Truer words...

Martin Rees, a theoretical astrophysicist, won the 2011 Templeton Prize, "which honours a living person who has made an exceptional contribution to affirming life's spiritual dimension, whether through insight, discovery, or practical works".

Rees' acceptance speech included the following quote, which all of us who inhabit this blue and green jewel should take the time to read and understand:

"Some people might surmise that intellectual immersion in vast expanses of space and time would render cosmologists serene and uncaring about what happens next year, next week or tomorrow. But, for me, the opposite is the case. My concerns are deepened by the realization that, even in a perspective extending billions of years into the future, as well as into the past, this century may be a defining moment. Our planet has existed for 45 million centuries, but this is the first in its history where one species - ours - has Earth's future in its hands, and could jeopardize not only itself, but life's immense potential."

Wise words, hmmm?