Out of sight, but not out of mind

In recent weeks, the news cycle has been dominated by the war in the Middle East. Yet, amid this intensity, another historic event briefly entered the headlines: the Artemis II mission, launched on April 1, completing a 10-day journey around the moon before its crew capsule splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean on April 10.

But let me ask you this: before Artemis II nudged its way into the news cycle, had you ever really thought about the “other side of the moon”? Did you know that we only ever see one face of it from Earth? We glance up occasionally, especially when the moon is full, but rarely do we consider what lies beyond our view.

This is a classic example of “out of sight, out of mind” – a phrase coined by English playwright John Heywood in 1562. Heywood used it to capture a simple but enduring human truth: when something is not directly visible or present in our daily lives, we tend to forget it, dismiss it, or underestimate its importance. Artemis II reminded us that there is always more beyond what we see – and that what lies beyond can matter deeply.

I reflected on this idea and realised that it applies just as much here on Earth as it does in space. Consider our lives in metro Sydney. Apart from the occasional drive to the Central Coast, the Southern Highlands, Canberra, or the snowfields, how often do we truly think about the communities we pass along the way? How often do we consider the lives, challenges and perspectives of people living outside our urban centres?

For many of us, those communities exist just beyond our line of sight – another world, not unlike the far side of the moon.