Stephen Hawking's poignant message becomes Earth Day call for hope
"I am very aware of the preciousness of time. Seize the moment. Act now."
Stephen Hawking gave a lecture on space in honor of NASA's 50th anniversary in 2008.
"It can be done." These were the last words in a message narrated by physicist Stephen Hawking that was beamed toward a black hole after his death in 2018. In honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day today, the European Space Agency shared Hawking's narration in a soul-shaking video.
The message begins: "I am very aware of the preciousness of time. Seize the moment. Act now." Hawking's words are set to music by Vangelis and play out over heartrendingly beautiful images of Earth.
"We're transmitting this poignant message to all of planet Earth -- as a message of hope, to say that, by working together, we can overcome this crisis and others facing humankind," said ESA in a release on Wednesday.
Hawking posed questions about how we will take care of our planet and our people, but this was ultimately a message of hope: "We are all time travelers journeying together into the future. But let us work together to make that future a place we want to visit. Be brave, be determined, overcome the odds. It can be done."
