ScienceChris Hadfield

Col. Chris Hadfield Presents 'An Astronaut's Guide To Optimism,' Looks Forward To 2015

WATCH: An Astronaut's Guide To Optimism
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By 

National Reporter, HuffPost

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Who better to paint a portrait of the world than a man who has gotten the very biggest of the "big picture" views?

In a year-end video uploaded to YouTube Saturday, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield reflected on the state of the world and concluded we have much to be optimistic about.

Sure, "there are problems with everything and nothing is yet perfect," he says, "but that shouldn't be cause to bemoan, that should be cause to achieve."

Hadfield's video lays out a compelling case for the future of humanity. He appended a written statement to the video, offering his New Year's resolution "to help make our world a better place":

Our world is not as bad a place as we often feel it to be. It is easy to look to the future and lament on how far there is left to go, but sometimes it is helpful to stop and reflect on just how far we've come.

This New Years, my resolution is to help make our world a better place. What's yours?

WATCH "An Astronaut's Guide To Optimism," above.

Before You Go

Chris Hadfield's Stunning Space Photography
Detroit & Windsor(01 of11)
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Detroit, Michigan (on right), and Windsor, Ontario (on left) represent two countries that are separated by this one river. (credit:NASA/Chris Hadfield)
San Francisco(02 of11)
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Much of the densely built-up waterfront around San Francisco sits on landfill, often a blend of rubble and sediment dragged up from the bay. In a major earthquake, landfill is more prone to liquefaction than bedrock: it behaves like a liquid, shaking far more severely, and is more likely to give way altogether. (credit:NASA/Chris Hadfield)
Havana To Washington(03 of11)
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On a clear day, astronauts aboard the ISS can see forever -- or at least from Havana to Washington, D.C. (credit:NASA/Chris Hadfield)
Manhattan, NY(04 of11)
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Manhattan awake at 9:23 a.m. local time, and Manhattan at rest at 3:45 a.m. local time. No wonder it's called the city that never sleeps. (credit:NASA/Chris Hadfield)
Venice Floating(05 of11)
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The city of Venice in northeastern Italy on a group of small islands separated by canals and linked by bridges. (credit:NASA/Chris Hadfield)
Perereira Barreto(06 of11)
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The area around Perereira Barreto in Brazil, about 400 miles north of São Paolo, was originally settled in the 1920s by Japanese immigrants who worked on coffee and sugar plantations along the Rio Tietê. But in the 1990s, the river was dammed to create a hydroelectric power plant, flooding and permanently submerging many farms and even a suspension bridge across the Tietê. Now there’s a new bridge, and from this angle, the body of water looks like a millipede. (credit:NASA/Chris Hadfield)
Mauritania(07 of11)
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The Richat Structure in Mauritania, also known as the Eye of the Sahara, is a landmark for astronauts. It’s hard to know where you are, especially if you’re over a vast 3,600,000-square-mile desert, but this bull’s-eye orients you, instantly. Oddly, it appears not to be the scar of a meteorite but a deeply eroded dome, with a rainbow-inspired color scheme. (credit:NASA/Chris Hadfield)
Himalayas(08 of11)
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The Himalayan mountain range in South Asia, which is home to the planet's highest peaks, including Mount Everest. (credit:NASA/Chris Hadfield)
Great Salt Lake(09 of11)
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Salt from evaporation ponds in Great Salt Lake, Utah, is used to produce a lot of the world’s magnesium metal. The largest saline lake in the western hemisphere attracts pastel-colored algae, brine shrimp and the birds that love them. (credit:NASA/Chris Hadfield)
Arica, Chile(10 of11)
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This twist of cloud near Arica, Chile is actually seen frequently in this part of the world because the Pacific Ocean is cold, the land is warm, and the currents and winds combine to form a cloudy vortex. (credit:NASA/Chris Hadfield)
The Nile(11 of11)
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The Nile River drains out into the Mediterranean Sea, as the bright lights of Cairo announce the opening of the north-flowing river’s delta, with Jerusalem’s high beams to the northeast. (credit:NASA/Chris Hadfield)
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