Shalom, Columbia
02.01.2003We lost another space shuttle today. The White House has already ruled out terrorism, even though the shuttle carried the first Israeli astronaut. I suspect they're right, and I appreciate not jumping the gun in these tense times.
Supposedly, a CBC interviewer blamed American "arrogance" for the Columbia disaster. This is a wonderful response by ModerateLeft:
Well, if this is arrogance--exploring space for science, pushing the envelope of the human experience, doing what our species has always done--then I support it. If it is arrogant to want to learn, we are arrogant. If it is arrogant to want to explore, we are arrogant. If it is arrogant to risk our lives for the possibility of a better future for all mankind, we are arrogant.
Mankind is arrogant. We believe foolish things--that we may one day cure cancer, that we may one day develop new forms of energy, that we may one day walk on Mars. We believe these foolish things, and we dedicate ourselves to achieving them. How ridiculous. How arrogant.
And people die for these things. And people are injured for life. The astronauts of Apollo 1, and the Challenger, and now, sadly, the Columbia have died for the arrogant belief that we can be more than we are, that we can walk on the moon, that we can touch the stars.
This arrogance is not American in nature. It is human. It is human arrogance that led us from the veldt of Africa to the ice-bound wastelands of Europe, across the Bering Strait into the Americas, across oceans to Australia and Oceana. It is human arrogance that leads thousands of people to live in the frigid environment of Antarctica, that leads explorers to dive miles under the oceans in bathyscapes.
This arrogance is our species' birthright. It is what defines us. If we were not arrogant, we never would have flown. We never would have domesicated the horse. We would have died in the caves, unwilling to strive to be more than we are.
So call us arrogant for building the space shuttle. Call the men and women who gave their lives today arrogant for believing they could fly to space and return to tell about it. But don't call us wrong. For this arrogance defines humanity. And I would rather our species be arrogant than afraid.
Posted by Miguel at 12:51 PM
Comments
Amen.
I agree that it is tragic, for some yet unexplained reason, the space shuttle burned up in the atmosphere today, but to think there is some sort of arrogance wrapped up in space exploration is ridiculous.
I guess by some Canadian's standards I might be arrogant for occasionally driving a car. I mean, accidents happen everyday. Seatbelts fail or ice patches are hit. People die.
Like driving a car, space exploration does have a pretty good record of odds when it comes to meeting a fire-ball-esque demise but hey, death happens.
I guess if we did absolutely nothing, we might be alright. Right?
or might we die anyway?
Posted by: eric at February 1, 2003 02:31 PM
I agree with Eric, driving a car is far too dangerous.
critical mass!
woo hoo!
woo
hoo
seriously, though, you know someone is a peice of shit when they don't leave a tragedy alone for a day before attacking. I felt the same way in the days directly following sept.11th when people were talking about how america deserved it's fate. even if you beleive that, repect should give you a few moments pause before you attack the grieving.
Posted by: bay at February 1, 2003 04:34 PM
The ironic thing is, that some of the same people who think America "deserved" the 9/11 attacks think innocent Iraqi's don't deserve to be bombed for Sadam's evils. Why are our innocent civilians somehow moraly responsible for our government's ills (real or imagined)? Oh, wait, maybe it's because we're a democracy and allow public political discussion.
Posted by: Miguel at February 1, 2003 10:05 PM