FOREWORD

As you read of Ron's discovery of his life's goal and purpose during his time in space, I hope you will also reflect on your own life's goal and purpose here on Earth. What are the problems you consider impossible to solve—hunger, poverty, war, environmental issues—and how can you gather together with others to solve these problems? Use Ron's idea of the orbital perspective as a way to erase obstacles, boundaries, and resistance to any problem.

If you had asked bankers thirty years ago whether a bank could lend billions of dollars to millions of extremely poor women in a country like Bangladesh without any collateral and with nearly a one hundred percent repayment rate, they would have laughed at you! Today, this is done globally—even in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles—and is a tested tool to counter poverty and give self-reliance. Another kind of business, a nondividend business, is becoming popular globally to address problems that were never considered amenable to sustainable solutions by business methods. What other tools can you discover if you put your mind and heart into the question?

Ron has shared with us his unlimited view of Earth's possibilities from the vantage point of the International Space Station. May we use this beautiful perspective for the good of all with whom we share our beautiful home, this fragile oasis known as Earth.

Muhammad Yunus

Nobel Peace Laureate