spaceship earth astronaut

now there is one outstandingly important fact about spaceship earth, and that is that no instruction book came with it. i think its very significant that there is not instruction book for successfully operating our ship. in view of the infinite attention to all other details displayed by our ship, it must be taken as deliberate and purposeful that an instruction book was omitted. ... so we were forced, because of a lack of an instruction book, to use our intellect, which is our supreme faculty...thus... we are learning how we safely can anticipate the consequences of an increasing number of alternative ways of extending our satisfactory survival and growth - both physical and metaphysical.

r. buckminster fuller