To the Infinity Beyond Musk, Moon & Mars

Letter to Ephesians: Elon Musk got it wrong in justifying a Mars colony as “life insurance” for humanity, but not because our ever-expanding sun will inevitably turn Mother Earth into a cinder. Rather, isn’t an unquenchable desire to learn all we can of our Creator’s amazing universe in our DNA?

Let’s harken back to President Kennedy’s pivotal speech to Congress urging the entire nation to get on board with his vision of a manned lunar landing, notwithstanding the huge expense & dangers involved. For those of us old enough to recall, there were many arguments in favor of such an historical commitment, including: The Cold War with Russia and a chance to boost national pride based on the old saw of American Exceptionalism. But, frankly such realpolitik considerations didn’t seal the deal with Congress & voting taxpayers. What did was casting space exploration as a new frontier, an inspiring way to expand human knowledge while encouraging future generations of scientists, engineers and explorers to wow us with their individual contributions to humanity’s advancement.

And yet, as much of a visionary as JFK may have been and Musk now may be, their rationales for reaching beyond the physical just don’t seem to quite hit the right high note after all. That note being “infinity,” mankind’s insatiable quest that Jesus of Nazareth nailed two millennia ago, i.e, to be “perfect as our Father in Heaven is perfect.”

Davd Soul