Image: Human Existence Cannot Be Preserved on Mars | © nikeshpaudel.com.np
A Humanity Defeated by a Virus — How Real Is Our Dream of Going to Mars?
“Earth is finished — we’ll go to Mars.” As thrilling as this sounds, the reality is equally brutal. Because the human race that was forced to hide indoors from an invisible virus — how will it battle the catastrophic conditions of another planet?
Today, scientists, tech entrepreneurs, and space agencies worldwide are investing billions of dollars in the dream of securing human existence on Mars. Projecting the apocalypse of Earth — glaciers melting, sea levels rising, global temperatures soaring — humanity has chosen Mars as its backup plan.
But the coronavirus of 2020 exposed a brutal truth. The human race that was preparing to fight Martian storms was forced to kneel before a microscopic organism. This very irony forces us to ask today — Can human existence truly be preserved on Mars?
Original Nepali Essay (मूल नेपाली रचना)
दुनिया आज पृथ्वीको अन्त्यको आकलन गर्दै पृथ्वी अब धेरै समय रहदैन अर्थात् प्रलय हुन्छ भन्ने तथ्यहरू अगाडि सार्दै, प्रलयको बेला मानब अस्तित्व जोगाइ राख्न पृथ्वीको अलवा अरू ग्रहहरू खोजि सकेको दाबि गर्छन् ।
मँगल ग्रहमा आइ पर्ने भारी कठिनाइसँग जुध्न लगभग तैयार रहेको भन्ने मानब जाति आज मानब बाटै सर्ने एउटा कोरोना भाइरसको सामाधान गर्न नसकेर घर भित्र लुकिरहेको छ, भाइरसले केहि समयको अन्तरालमा धेरै मानछेहरूको ज्यान लियको छ ।
मानब जाति मै सँक्रमण हुने एउटा भाइरसको अनुसन्धान गर्न बर्षौ लगाउने बिश्व मानब मँगल ग्रहमा हुने भारी तहसनहस, रोग माहामारी, प्रकृतिक बिपत्ति खेपेर मानब जातिको अस्तित्व सुरक्षित गर्न सक्दैन ।
अर्थात् या भन्दा हजार गुणा बढि तैयारी गर्नुपर्छ ।
प्रकृतिक अनुकुल मिलेको, औषधिहरूको श्रोत भएको, अर्थात् बर्षौ मानब समाजले राज गरीराखेको पृथ्वी जस्तो मँगल ग्रह अबस्य हुने छैन । त्यति मात्र नभयर मँगल ग्रहमा बेला बेलामा प्राकृतिक बिपत्ति आउने छन्, कोरोना जस्ता माहामारीको अनुसन्धान र औषधि उपचार त्याहा निकै कठिन हुने छ।
मानब निर्मित मँगलिएन हरुको लागि मँगलमा कोरोना जस्ता माहामारीको निर्मुलिकरण सम्भब छैन । किनभने मँगल ग्रहमा मानब समाजको परिकल्पना गर्ने मानब सँसार आज एउटा माहामारीको अनुसन्भान गर्न बर्षौ लगाइरहेको छ ।
यसकारण मानब दुनिया अझै मँगल ग्रहको आधि बेहेरी सँग जुध्न तैयार छैन भन्न सकिन्छ ।
कोरोना भाइरस मानब मै फैलिरहेको माहामारी हुनाले यसको अनुसन्धानमा अझ सहज हुनु पर्थ्यो किन भने मानब दुनिया जे केहि सँग लड्न तैयारी छ, जब कि पृथ्वीको प्रलय हुदा सम्म ।
English Translation of the Essay
It is not possible to preserve human existence by going to Mars.
Today, the world is calculating the end of Earth — presenting facts that the Earth will not survive much longer, that an apocalypse is coming — and claiming that other planets have been discovered to preserve human existence when that catastrophe arrives.
The human race, which claims to be nearly ready to face the immense hardships on Mars, is today hiding inside homes, unable to find a solution for the coronavirus — a virus that spreads only among humans. The virus has taken the lives of many people in a short span of time.
A humanity that takes years to research a virus that infects only its own kind cannot possibly survive on Mars — enduring massive destruction, disease epidemics, and natural disasters — and keep human existence safe.
In other words, a thousand times more preparation would be required for that.
Mars will certainly not be like Earth — which is naturally habitable, a source of medicines, and a planet over which human civilization has ruled for centuries. Moreover, Mars will periodically face natural disasters, and researching and treating pandemics like coronavirus will be extremely difficult there.
For humans living on Mars, eliminating pandemics like coronavirus will not be possible. Because the world that imagines a human society on Mars is today taking years just to research one pandemic.
Therefore, it can be said that humanity is not yet ready to face even half the conditions of Mars.
Since coronavirus is a pandemic spreading among humans themselves, its research should have been easier — after all, humanity claims to be ready to fight anything, even until the end of the Earth.
But humanity proved weak. Humans lost. We are not yet capable of fighting a pandemic even on Earth — we cannot preserve human existence on another planet.
Deep Meaning & Emotional Analysis
The core message of this essay is a philosophical slap — aimed squarely at the arrogance of modern humanity. The author argues that we are dreaming of soaring into the skies, yet we haven’t even found the strength to stand firmly on the ground beneath us.
“Humanity proved weak — we lost. This truth must be accepted.”
🧠 Inner Conflict — The Soul’s Dilemma
This essay reveals a clear inner conflict within human civilization. On one side lies boundless ambition — colonizing Mars, spreading across the universe. On the other, a helplessness exposed by a microscopic virus. This conflict is not merely scientific — it is moral and philosophical too.
The question of human existence on Mars forces us to confront our own limitations. We speak of conquering another planet while the problems here on Earth — climate change, pandemics, poverty — remain unsolved. This is the author’s sharpest point of criticism.
💔 Struggle & Reality
The COVID-19 pandemic revealed just how vast the gulf between dreams and reality truly is. A humanity capable of launching rockets into space was unwilling to wear a mask or stay home. This contradiction is the very heartbeat of this essay.
On a personal level — during the pandemic, I witnessed people scrambling for medicine, hospitals overflowing, and science searching desperately for answers. In those moments, talk of “going to Mars” sounded profoundly hollow. That lived experience is what gives this essay its depth.
Pursuing dreams requires sacrifice, yes — but that sacrifice must point in the right direction. Save Earth first. Learn to survive here. Then, and only then, speak of other worlds.
Background of the Work
This essay was written at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic — a timely, reflective piece born from crisis. When people across the world were confined to their homes, when hospitals were overwhelmed, and when science was racing for answers — the question arose: we talk of going to Mars, yet we are helpless right here on Earth.
Through this essay, Nikesh Paudel weighs the ambitious plans of space entrepreneurs like Elon Musk against the hard test of practical reality. Organizations like SpaceX, NASA, and ISRO envision the future of human civilization in the stars — but are we truly ready for that?
The social relevance of this work runs deep. It is not merely a critique of science — it is a call for attention regarding human arrogance, the lack of priorities, and our responsibility toward the very planet we call home.
6 Life Lessons This Essay Teaches Us
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01Solve Today’s Problems First It is wisdom to address the challenges right in front of you before chasing distant dreams. Talking about Mars while pandemics, poverty, and inequality rage on Earth is nothing more than escapism.
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02Don’t Be Blinded by Arrogance Humanity believed itself all-powerful — yet a microscopic virus shattered that illusion. Pride never hides reality; this lesson applies with equal force to our individual lives.
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03True Readiness Is Inner Strength No matter how great your external achievements, inner weakness is never hidden for long. Real preparation means being strong from within — mentally, socially, and scientifically.
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04Understand the Value of Earth What we have — clean air, water, biodiversity — must be cherished. Our roots are embedded in this very soil. We must not take it for granted.
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05Unity Is True Power The pandemic demonstrated that only when nations work together can great challenges be overcome. It is not the lone human who will reach Mars — it is a united humanity that makes great dreams real.
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06Accepting Defeat Is Not Weakness The author says — “Humanity lost.” That acknowledgment is itself the first step toward change. The courage to see truth clearly is among the greatest strengths one can have.
Why Does This Essay Touch Its Readers?
We have all, at some point in life, dreamed wildly ambitious dreams — and then been knocked down by the harsh wall of reality. This essay depicts that very experience on a cosmic canvas.
For Students
Before chasing grand goals, build foundational skills. Learn to stand before you try to leap.
For Professionals
In jobs and careers too — master excellence in your current work before reaching for distant ambitions.
For Social Thinkers
This essay reminds policymakers — internal strengthening must come before foreign ambition.
For Everyday Readers
In daily struggles — knowing yourself, understanding your limits, and becoming excellent within them — that is the message.
Whether it is a Nepali poem or a philosophical essay — when writing draws close to truth, it leaves an indelible mark on the reader’s heart. Nikesh Paudel’s work belongs to that rare category.
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