The late scientist Carl Sagan called it the "pale blue dot." The Earth seen from space as a "tiny mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam," has a tendency to put our human troubles in perspective.
That world, seen without borders or maps, is something Matthew Cimone often asks youth to envision when he gives talks in high schools. Cimone, 30, is a motivational speaker who also works and lives with students in residence at Burnaby's SFU campus.
Cimone is hoping to make his own journey to space through a Metro News contest, where the winner gets a one-hour flight at 60,000 metres above Earth valued at $100,000. Contestants from around the world have posted their entries online and are collecting votes. The space trip would help inform Cimone's lectures promoting his philosophy of a borderless world.
"It's a chance for me to use some of that first-hand experience in the presentations," he said. "A lot of the times I talk to young people, he talks about the pursuit of something impossible."
Cimone figures the odds are against him, but his motto is: "Shoot for the moon, but even if you miss, you'll land among the stars."
Cimone's life-long dream of reaching space started in childhood, inspired by his grandfather's love for astronomy. Cimone is also working on a documentary, called Chasing Atlantis, on the final flight of the space shuttle. Cimone is currently ranked 13 out of more than 1,500 Canadian entries, and he's hoping to gain votes from Burnaby residents before voting closes on April 5.
Voters can vote up to 10 times a day. At press time, Cimone had more than 15,000 votes.
To see Cimone's entry, click here.
