Three incidents occurred today that shook rust free. I saw a hard-core crusty old dude at the gym, Neil Armstrong made a rare public appearance, and China launched a mission that is to include a space walk.As someone born after the Apollo Moon landings I find it lame that no significant exploration has happened since then. Even though we now congratulate ourselves on global awareness it is a mediocre fact that only 30 people have ever seen the Earth from a distance sufficient to view it as a blue globe. Of those 30 astronauts (Apollo 8 to 17) only 12 walked on the Moon and of them only eight now survive. They are all aged over 75 years!
Grand-dad's generation flew to the Moon and I stumble around thinking a sleek music player, the latest add-on, and espresso coffee is “progress”!
One of the eight Moon veterans is Neil Armstrong, aged 78, a certifiable hard-core old dude. Armstrong appeared for the 50th anniversary of NASA and there he said,
“Our highest and most important hope is that the human race will improve its intelligence, its character, and its wisdom.”
Perhaps China is adhering to Armstrong's vision in their own way. This year China staged an Olympic Games. Today, a month later, China has launched a three-man mission that will include spacewalks, which are thought to be part of a larger plan to land on the Moon. Not so astounding if you recall the US went from spacewalking to moonwalking in four years – back in the sixties. China seems to have the expertise and intent to look up and out.
The monstrous credit crunch and minutiae of media technology both encourage people to be introspective, cautious and fearful. However, the future does not belong to the fearful, the slothful, and downward looking. It belongs to those that wrestle with the difficult tasks of improving intelligence, character, and wisdom. Hopefully New Zealand is a part of that future.