Why Space?
A few of you probably remember the rant/essay that I posted a while back about the American space program and how we should be focusing on the problems of this world before we turn outward. Well, yesterday I posted that piece on fictionpress.com, and today when I checked my e-mail I had a single review. It read as follows:
"One of the reasons we go into space is to try and solve our problems. Like population. And energy. And food."
That was it -- no commentary on my writing itself, which is what I was hoping to receive when I posted to a writing-based site. Instead, I come away with a general statement, made by someone who I can only assume is an average person, detailing the reasons why people go into space -- at least, the reasons why the general public believes we go into space.
But somehow, those reasons just don't seem to cut it for me. In these cases, I still think space is not the answer.
I'll admit that population is a problem on this world, but I have a few solutions to that which have nothing to do with space. One of the first of these, which would be relatively simple in all of the developed world (which contains the only countries even remotely interested in spaceflight to begin with), is plain old birth control. The problem with population is that people have kids that they don't want. If people only had children because they wanted children, the population growth would become much more manageable, but the truth is that most people having sex don't want kids -- they just want the sex.
That easy solution aside, I'm not seeing how space travel would effectively solve the population problem anyway. In all honesty, by the time science has advanced enough to allow people to live in space or on the moon or Mars, the population on Earth will have already reached its threshold and some terrible disease will probably have ravaged the population. That's only if some terrible war doesn't happen first. Either way, one of the limiting factors to population will come into play long before colonizing other worlds is a feasible method for getting rid of excess population.
It becomes even harder for me to see how energy is to be gained by space travel. I mean, if we had the power to harness the nuclear fission of a star, then just maybe...but I even see two large problems with that idea. One, the star closest to Earth is our sun, and I don't want to be using up all of its fissionable material any time soon. Two, that amount of energy would only make it easier for us to blow ourselves up. Personally, I'm in favor of staying alive as long as possible, and I think the rest of the world will generally agree with me.
I'm also thinking that, apparently, the rest of the world hasn't realized exactly how much energy it takes to launch a space ship. What do they think rocket fuel is made of, anyway? If people were truly worried about energy, they'd petition their governments to take the money being currently spent on the space program and instead turn it toward finding fossil fuel alternatives. That would be a much more profitable endeavor.
And I don't even think I'm going to comment on food. Let's just say this: for all of you who didn't know, the moon is not really made of cheese.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Oh, the terrors of ignorant reviewers. I didn't want to post this rebuttal on the site because then I'd be becoming one of those people I despise. But, I figure, whoever it was who said that isn't going to be reading my livejournal, since only my friends really read this. So it's slightly less venomous to post it here.
Still...it's interesting to think. I was just thinking about it, and I was about to write something along the lines of "people like this make me lose faith in humanity." But I realized before I wrote that that I never really lose faith in humanity. Sometimes I may joke about it...but I don't think I ever really can lose faith. Humanity just seems like too optimistic a concept to begin with. It treats us -- all of us, regardless of race or religion or nationality -- as a single, united group. That idea isn't one that seems prone to pessimism. Simply to have that thought in mind wipes away all negative images.
Oh, Lord, how I wish that that could one day be reality, even if I'm not around to see it. There are so many people I know who reaffirm my faith in humanity, and generally they are the ones I see daily. There's Deanna, who's just plain weird and likes it that way, and who's always ready to do something crazy just for the sake of making someone else smile. And Shannen, who's not afraid to be herself even when some people are afraid of her for it, and who's got inner demons I don't know about but who handles them admirably. Stephanie H. always smiles and wears her SPAD t-shirt with pride, being herself and not worrying about it. Steph B. is constantly hilarious in a quirky way that involves naming cars and lunchboxes as well as expressing herself in stories that include random dwarves. The amazing redheaded Stephanie is always there to offer up consolation, complements, or even just her company, depending on what's needed. And Natalie might scare some people, but her heart is one of the most open I've yet to find, willing always to accept and never to condemn.
If these wacky people are the future of our world...then somehow, I think the future might be looking up.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I don't know quite where that came from...but it's all true. You guys are the greatest, and whether or not you agree with me, I say you're a good cause for optimism.
"One of the reasons we go into space is to try and solve our problems. Like population. And energy. And food."
That was it -- no commentary on my writing itself, which is what I was hoping to receive when I posted to a writing-based site. Instead, I come away with a general statement, made by someone who I can only assume is an average person, detailing the reasons why people go into space -- at least, the reasons why the general public believes we go into space.
But somehow, those reasons just don't seem to cut it for me. In these cases, I still think space is not the answer.
I'll admit that population is a problem on this world, but I have a few solutions to that which have nothing to do with space. One of the first of these, which would be relatively simple in all of the developed world (which contains the only countries even remotely interested in spaceflight to begin with), is plain old birth control. The problem with population is that people have kids that they don't want. If people only had children because they wanted children, the population growth would become much more manageable, but the truth is that most people having sex don't want kids -- they just want the sex.
That easy solution aside, I'm not seeing how space travel would effectively solve the population problem anyway. In all honesty, by the time science has advanced enough to allow people to live in space or on the moon or Mars, the population on Earth will have already reached its threshold and some terrible disease will probably have ravaged the population. That's only if some terrible war doesn't happen first. Either way, one of the limiting factors to population will come into play long before colonizing other worlds is a feasible method for getting rid of excess population.
It becomes even harder for me to see how energy is to be gained by space travel. I mean, if we had the power to harness the nuclear fission of a star, then just maybe...but I even see two large problems with that idea. One, the star closest to Earth is our sun, and I don't want to be using up all of its fissionable material any time soon. Two, that amount of energy would only make it easier for us to blow ourselves up. Personally, I'm in favor of staying alive as long as possible, and I think the rest of the world will generally agree with me.
I'm also thinking that, apparently, the rest of the world hasn't realized exactly how much energy it takes to launch a space ship. What do they think rocket fuel is made of, anyway? If people were truly worried about energy, they'd petition their governments to take the money being currently spent on the space program and instead turn it toward finding fossil fuel alternatives. That would be a much more profitable endeavor.
And I don't even think I'm going to comment on food. Let's just say this: for all of you who didn't know, the moon is not really made of cheese.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Oh, the terrors of ignorant reviewers. I didn't want to post this rebuttal on the site because then I'd be becoming one of those people I despise. But, I figure, whoever it was who said that isn't going to be reading my livejournal, since only my friends really read this. So it's slightly less venomous to post it here.
Still...it's interesting to think. I was just thinking about it, and I was about to write something along the lines of "people like this make me lose faith in humanity." But I realized before I wrote that that I never really lose faith in humanity. Sometimes I may joke about it...but I don't think I ever really can lose faith. Humanity just seems like too optimistic a concept to begin with. It treats us -- all of us, regardless of race or religion or nationality -- as a single, united group. That idea isn't one that seems prone to pessimism. Simply to have that thought in mind wipes away all negative images.
Oh, Lord, how I wish that that could one day be reality, even if I'm not around to see it. There are so many people I know who reaffirm my faith in humanity, and generally they are the ones I see daily. There's Deanna, who's just plain weird and likes it that way, and who's always ready to do something crazy just for the sake of making someone else smile. And Shannen, who's not afraid to be herself even when some people are afraid of her for it, and who's got inner demons I don't know about but who handles them admirably. Stephanie H. always smiles and wears her SPAD t-shirt with pride, being herself and not worrying about it. Steph B. is constantly hilarious in a quirky way that involves naming cars and lunchboxes as well as expressing herself in stories that include random dwarves. The amazing redheaded Stephanie is always there to offer up consolation, complements, or even just her company, depending on what's needed. And Natalie might scare some people, but her heart is one of the most open I've yet to find, willing always to accept and never to condemn.
If these wacky people are the future of our world...then somehow, I think the future might be looking up.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I don't know quite where that came from...but it's all true. You guys are the greatest, and whether or not you agree with me, I say you're a good cause for optimism.