Sometimes it takes a brisk walk or a long drive to gain perspective on seemingly insolvable problems and intractable situations.
Sometimes it takes the space shuttle.
Ilan Ramon, when lofted into orbit by the shuttle, will become the first Israeli in space, and the first to see with his own eyes a Middle East without heavily-guarded borders or military checkpoints.
Those signs of conflict and distrust will simply vanish as the craft rises from the Earth. Only the green of vegetation, the yellow of the desert, and the blue of the sea will remain.
And while Ramon won't talk politics publicly ("I am still in the army"), he says he will greatly value the look of a unified world from the vantage point of space.
"When you get out of Earth, actually Earth is one entity for you," he said.
At age 45, Ramon has seen his share of conflict -- he has served the Israeli military as a fighter pilot for 25 years.
But now, since being selected by Israel to train with NASA, he is working on a new mission. And instead of serving only Israel, he'll serve the entire Middle East region.
His mission is to carry out the so-called Mediterranean Israeli Dust Experiment. Its goal is to shed light on aerosols -- suspended particles in the Earth's atmosphere, which have been shown to contribute to the distribution of rainfall. Scientists hope to learn more about their role in order to reduce water shortages in the arid Middle East.
"We have a lot of regional problems, like the shortage of water, which is a problem in the Middle East, not only in Israel," Ramon said. "We try to take advantage of space exploration... It's going to help everything that we are trying to do for peace and collaboration."
The mission, which hasn't yet been scheduled by NASA, comes after a U.S.-Israeli accord on cooperation in space.
The agreement, signed in 1996, led to other partnerships in Earth and environmental sciences, including the sharing of ocean data.
In comments made Monday at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, NASA Administrator Dan Goldin praised Israel for its "triumphant" history, and expressed excitement about their partnership with NASA.
"We at NASA are thrilled about our partnership with Israel," he said. "This is a relationship that we've worked on for some time."
Currently training at the NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Ramon has been talking to other astronauts about the experience of space.
"I hear from everybody here that it's a very special experience," he said. "And the view is excellent."
His mission will last 16 days -- the longest-ever shuttle mission.
"I'll have a lot of time to enjoy it," he said.
In addition to his personal gratification, he hopes that his presence in space will serve as a unifying thread for other Jews. "I will try to emphasize the unity of the Jewish people, Jewish communities within Israel and out of Israel," he said. "I'm sure that they all will be proud that they have an Israeli out in space."
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