We have walked on the moon, left debris on the moon, and now we are pounding the moon in the name of science. Hey! Can we be a little more gentle here? Any child understands the elementary fact that when a ball is bounced, all of it vibrates and is affected, not just the part that hits the ground.
Are these recent methods to search for water on the moon small steps for mankind or baby steps for lunar madness? Let us not behave like lunatics by following past patterns of failing to approach research with respect and caution. Instead, we have escalated studies so that the very ground we walk on has been compromised.
It doesn’t take a scientist to realize that pummeling the planet to test missiles, for example, is a foolhardy exercise frequently followed by earthquakes and floods in different parts of the globe. Fear and curiosity has made us oblivious to the fact that we need to tread lightly. In our zeal, we seem numbed to the fact that our tightly wound and synchronized universe hinges in the balance.
Exploring all facets of the universe is a valid venture that is potentially necessary to our future existence. However, since we seem on track to destroy the earth, let us not play too careless a game with the moon, which could offer our only hope of escape to other worlds should we make uninhabitable the beautiful but fragile and abused planet we call home.
Postscript: Link to a January 2010 photograph at Black Jack’s Carol to see the mesmerizing magic of the moon.
Are these recent methods to search for water on the moon small steps for mankind or baby steps for lunar madness? Let us not behave like lunatics by following past patterns of failing to approach research with respect and caution. Instead, we have escalated studies so that the very ground we walk on has been compromised.
It doesn’t take a scientist to realize that pummeling the planet to test missiles, for example, is a foolhardy exercise frequently followed by earthquakes and floods in different parts of the globe. Fear and curiosity has made us oblivious to the fact that we need to tread lightly. In our zeal, we seem numbed to the fact that our tightly wound and synchronized universe hinges in the balance.
Exploring all facets of the universe is a valid venture that is potentially necessary to our future existence. However, since we seem on track to destroy the earth, let us not play too careless a game with the moon, which could offer our only hope of escape to other worlds should we make uninhabitable the beautiful but fragile and abused planet we call home.
Postscript: Link to a January 2010 photograph at Black Jack’s Carol to see the mesmerizing magic of the moon.
Aw, thank you, Penelope! You didn't overreact. Although I cannot bear to think we are on track, as you say, to destroy our world, I do believe pointing out the delicate beauty in and around all of us, as you do in post after post, broadens our view of the immense impact of our actions. Your gentle blog is reaching all the way to the moon!
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