My personal diary has a daily question to answer which is designed to trigger thoughts beyond my 'working mom with kids' world. Today's challenge was: 'Who inspires you?'

A predictable answer for me would be either a blogger who gives best time management tips or another mom who owns a gold medal for parenting four kids or more. Yes, inspiration must be local but.....what if I ventured farther? Could I be inspired to change my world? What about looking into outer space?!

On the International Space Station, the visiting astronauts are amongst the most privileged human beings of us all because they can see the earth from outside. In 1985 one man, Prince Salman of Saudi Arabia, flew as a payload specialist on Discovery and spent seven days with six other crew members there. He looked out of the window to gaze down on the earth from space and, like his fellow travelers, he realized as never before that we are one family with spaceship Earth as our common home. He said later:

• ‘The first day or so we all pointed to our countries.

• The third or fourth day, we were pointing to our continents.

• By the fifth day we were aware of only one earth.’

I am inspired by that vision of the astronauts as they unconsciously embraced the whole world as one in such a short five days. Is it so very difficult to believe that the majority of the world's population wishes respect and neighborliness everywhere? Are we not in the majority to force it to happen? We all can relate to the astronauts' speedy change of perception if we think of the very short time it takes for a new-born baby to look into our eyes and change us totally. We instantly devote our lives to caring and showing love with no hesitation.

When we read a history book, or even just the daily newspaper, at times it is easy to feel ashamed to be human. What is history? Wars, wars and more wars. So many dead. So many tears. So many fears. The world is drenched in blood. Should not all hope be abandoned? Are not these great visions of peace and harmony among all people of the earth just a utopian fairy tale? No, they are not. They correspond to the deepest longing of the human heart.

Especially around the holiday season of December we all think of happiness and friendship. We buy presents for those we love; we celebrate with parties and dancing; and we endeavor to give all young children the best of happy experiences that will last them a lifetime. These special days fuel our deepest aspirations and give us the energy to overcome great obstacles and painful setbacks.

The marvellous vision of a peaceful world, in which all violence has been overcome and all people live in loving unity with nature, calls for its realisation in our daily lives. Instead of being an escapist dream, it challenges us to anticipate what it promises. Every time we forgive a neighbour, every time we make a child smile, every time we show compassion to a suffering person, take care of animals, prevent pollution, and work for peace and justice among peoples and nations, we are making the vision come true.

We need to keep the vision before us, even when festivities are over, and the new year bells ring us into 2023. Then it will give us new energy to live it out, right where we are. It won't cost us any dollars; it won't make us unhealthy, and it won't split up friendships. Instead of encouraging us to escape from real life, this beautiful vision summons us to get involved.

My diary has been filled with my answer: the astronauts of the International Space Station.