The Umbrian hill towns are as numerous as the thunder storms that blow through their valleys. Each has their own art, architecture, history, and character. The region feels old. It’s been inhabited for at least the past 30,000 years, and the parade of civilizations (Etruscans, Romans, city states, and unified Italy) has left its mark.

When I think about this vast history, a Carl Sagan quote comes to mind: “The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of the dot on scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner of the dot. How frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds.” (Pale Blue Dot is well worth your time by the way).

Disheartening? It may be melancholy, but it’s also true. Beautiful scenery and no internet will spur such reflections. How do we rise above our short sightedness? I know we’re capable of it. I know we have the ability to enact solutions to climate change and environmental conservation, to our economic puzzles, to human rights and international relations. It just requires a higher perspective, a more longitudinal one. Which brings me to another saying, attributed in many forms to many people: “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.”

Pale Blue Dot, Native American proverb, Thich Nhat Hanh, the Bible or the Quran—it doesn’t matter where we gain perspective. These teachings and teachers are widely known because they have helped people see more clearly. They have inspired. It’s up to us to effect change.