On Human Spirit

Yesterday, I cried. These were not tears of sadness but of joy, hope, and faith in humanity. On January 6, 2018 — yesterday, as I write this — a private citizen of the United States of America sent a rocket to Mars, and I was reminded of the unquenchability of the human spirit as we reached for the stars once more.

The fact that Elon Musk, via his company SpaceX, successfully launched a massive Saturn V-sized rocket as part of a plan to colonize Mars is nothing short of astounding. There are about a thousand reasons it’s stupid to explore the nearly infinite, dark, and treacherous reaches of outer space using manned missions, but only a single good one: We send human beings into space because it kindles the flame of the human spirit. These audacious, almost unbelievable feats accomplished by mere mortals inspire and compel us to dream big; they enable us to lift our species to previously unimaginable heights. This lone reason outweighs the sum of all the negative ones, a thousand and one times over.

Here on Earth, we are in a bitter struggle to protect and preserve the environment of the only planet we have ever called home. Right now in our country, we are engaged in a fierce battle to defend our public lands, to keep the natural world clean and unspoiled, and to prevent climate change from permanently altering our world in ways which will be disastrous for many.

And yet, in the middle of the vast darkness, there is a glimmer — a small but significant spark of hope. The indomitable light of the human spirit. Tonight, once it’s completely dark, go outside and look up at the night sky. What you will see above you is as much a part of the natural world as Earth’s most remote backcountry. It is unlikely that you or I will walk on Mars, but if you’re middle-aged or younger, there’s a good chance you will be able to watch your fellow humans do so. We may very well be a multi-planetary species in the next century. The enormity of this is staggering. Donald J. Trump and his bumbling cronies may do much damage to our planet’s environment over the next three years, but they cannot crush the spirit of humanity as we once again endeavor to walk on distant worlds.

As humans, our connection to the natural world does not end with our emotions and thoughts. Every atom in your body was once a tiny piece of a star, which means we are quite literally made up of the stuff of nature. We are comprised of, and therefore inextricably linked to, the natural world, and we will fight for it. We will fight because we are human, and it is in our nature to struggle, to strive, to hope, and to dream.

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