Explorers Reach Peak in Ohio

Imagine you climb to the summit of Mt. Everest, carve out a ten-foot patch of soil, and airlift it to a small town in Ohio. You put it on display, charging admission for people to “stand on the top of Everest.” Then you take a patch of Ohio soil and airlift it to Everest’s summit. When a climber finally reaches the peak, they find a sign: “Congratulations, you’ve reached Ohio.”

Would you pay a premium to stand on Everest soil in Ohio? Would you feel cheated if, after climbing Everest, you found out you were standing on dirt from Ohio? And if you mixed the two soils and divided them evenly—what then? Where, exactly, is the meaning located?

Now imagine watching the broadcast of the first astronauts landing on Mars. The world watches in awe as humans step out to take another “giant leap for mankind.” There are celebrations, parades, and the headline goes viral: humanity is now a multi-planet species. Over time, Mars is populated by millions, and eventually, the first native Martians are born. These children grow up knowing only the reality of Mars: cold, harsh, barren, and red.

One holiday, Martian teens visit the historic landing site of the first Earthling pilgrims. To them, it looks like every other stretch of the monotonous desert planet. They glance up at the sky and see a pale blue dot: Earth. In their minds, it’s a lost Eden—a utopia they’ve only heard about. They wonder how their parents could see meaning in this dusty patch of rock, while paradise hovers just above the horizon.

The magic is not the soil, or even the location—it’s in the story. It’s in the struggle of getting there and the cultural meaning we assign to it. If an alien traveled light years to reach the exact spot where you’re standing now, they might be celebrated as the greatest explorer in their species’ history.

Like time and space, meaning is relative. Any place in the universe can be amazing—or boring—depending on the story you tell about it. So before you chase fulfillment on some distant mountaintop or faraway world, look inward. It's closer than you think. But don’t expect to find it there either. That’s where you create it.