A Future Frontier (Updated)

As far back as 8 years old, I've been interested in astronomy and space. I remember sitting outside in the dark of night studying the constellations and the moon through a pitiful excuse for a telescope. Like so many red-blooded American boys, I was caught up in the glamour of the space program. Enraptured by the danger and the thrill of pushing thresholds into a new frontier, the brave adventurer would seek out to discover and conquer the unknown, exploring the cosmos simply because he hadn't been there yet. I left much of the fantasy behind I as grew older, perhaps in small part because of the realities of Challenger, and more recently Columbia. But the wonder remains with each new image from the Hubble telescope and the live feeds of scientific discovery from our probes on Mars.

I recently read a very long article by Rand Simberg in the New Atlantis journal. It discusses at length the evolution of America's space program in the context of its vision, as influenced by politics and society. It delves into great detail the dichotomy of pushing frontiers while chained to an unwieldy bureaucracy that defines almost every government program. As a government contractor, I can identify directly with the challenges of trying to meet too many requirements with one solution, which increases the cost and likelihood for failure to reach objectives. It is indeed a complicated matter, made worse when the business model of the organization (designed to keep people employed indefinitely) runs into conflict with fiscal responsibility and mission focus.

The thesis of the article basically suggests that the technological advancement to make us a space-faring people would be better realized by private sector entrepreneurs (with a spirit of adventure and a profit motive) combined with a government enabler that facilitates their activities. As Mr. Simberg states in his article [bold emphasis mine]:

To get past the misperceived lessons of the past four decades and to develop a “safe, innovative, affordable, and sustainable” plan for manned spaceflight, we must begin by stating plainly why we should go into space, for the why gives shape to the how.

The United States should become a spacefaring nation, and the leader of a spacefaring civilization.

That means that access to space should be almost as routine (if not quite as affordable) as access to the oceans, and with similar laws and regulations. It means thousands, or millions, of people in space—and not just handpicked government employees, but private citizens spending their own money for their own purposes. It means that we should have the capability to detect an asteroid or comet heading for Earth and to deflect it in a timely manner. Similarly it means we should be able to mine asteroids or comets for their resources, for use in space or on Earth, potentially opening up new wealth for the planet. It means that we should explore the solar system the way we did the West: not by sending off small teams of government explorers—Lewis and Clark were the extreme exception, not the rule—but by having lots of people wandering around and peering over the next rill in search of adventure or profit.

The space program was born out of Cold War motives. The American West was tamed by the private individual seeking fortune, liberty, and adventure. We view NASA as the only permissible embodiment of progress into the final frontier, but maybe it shouldn't be that way. Ironically, the criticisms that NASA costs too much aren't unfounded, but it is precisely because of its organizational limitations and business model. But NASA could be more cost effective if its mission were better partnered with private sector initiatives - not more contractors, mind you, but completely private space technology ventures. While government has enormous resources it can put to bear to just about anything (courtesy the taxpayers), government in general is not the vehicle to push us into new frontiers. But it can enable others, and thereby achieve goals previously out of reach.

There is always more to discover about Creation. I'm not sold on the idea that humanity's survival and immortality depends on conquering the galaxy, however. But to have the liberty to pursue the heavens, to discover the origins, to learn more about that which God has created ... why not? Why not encourage my 9 year old son, who watched with fascination the live feed from NASA as the Mars probe landed on the surface to begin its search for evidence of water? Why should his passion for science and math and space be limited by the constraints of government organization or grants?

Government should not be the arbiter of individual dreams and discovery. But it can be an enabler that promotes and encourages such progress.

UPDATE: Here is a great example of the opportunities that exist for entrepreneurs. An ion-engine that could shorten the journey to Mars from 6 months to 39 days!

Past Words

Years ago I used to run an online devotional ministry called Encounters!. Starting out as a weekly email devotion, I ended up creating a website, had a distribution somewhat less than 175 people, and basically poured out into words what the Lord was speaking into my own heart. Back then, I was considerably less jaded about certain aspects of ministry. The last few days, I've been looking back over some of those devotionals. It was interesting, because looking back at things I've previously written is not something I usually do. I immediately recognized them as words I put on the page, yet at the same time I got the sense they were written by someone long gone. A decade of perspective and experience will do that to you, I suppose.

In my archives there are also seven years of Bible study material I produced while serving as teacher of an adult Sunday School class. Again, I found the same phenomena - I instinctively knew the words were mine, yet they felt almost alien to me. The words given to me, and the Spirit in which they were written, were for a particular purpose in a particular place at a particular time in history. They were words written to teach Truth and to inspire belief. But I'm not sure I was the target. Perhaps that's part of the reason they feel so strange. The spiritual benefit to me was not the words, but the moment with God I experienced in producing them. It was part of a passion for the written word - a passion I wish to reawaken and hence the reason for having this blog.

Writing was always my creative outlet, along with symphonic and marching bands. I shut down those activities years ago out of fatigue and a yearning for new direction, but I never replaced them with anything else creative. I've spent most of this decade in the world of "have to". It was a choice (or series of choices) I'm coming to view as a mistake. The price my soul has paid for not pursuing the creative gifts I was given has wounded me somehow. Recovering that balance is going to be hard to do, but I feel it is necessary.

Experiencing joy is virtually impossible when you spend most of your time hiding from it.

Of Pigs and Pearls

A few years ago, I toyed with the idea of participating in a local group blogging effort. This group (which never got off the ground), would focus primarily on politics at both the national and state level. Part of the reason I ended up declining the opportunity had to do with the lack of time in my schedule. To be of value and interest, a political blog needs to be up-to-the-minute and current with the day's events. I knew that I could never devote the time necessary, and honestly, why bother when there are several quality political blogs already out there encompassing all points of view. Indeed, it is daily reading for me, and anything I would end up posting would ultimately point back to what someone else already said. My posts may occasionally touch on the political, but rather than diving into the fever swamps, I would rather attempt to try to put things in a broader context of what events say about us, our history, and our future as a society. I make no apologies for being independent, quasi-libertarian, fiscally conservative, pro-life, and anti-death penalty in my views.

I confess to being absolutely stunned by what we are witnessing in our Nation's Capitol. Congress is running at a fever pitch to pass bills they haven't read, spellchecked, or analyzed. With seemingly no thought for the consequences to our economy and our standard of living, they seem to be driving recklessly headlong into a fiscal nightmare. Our government is binging on power and money, the future be damned. Where is the wise leadership, the thoughtful deliberation of solutions for real problems, honest but respectful debate? If one political party is to control all arenas of government, you would think they'd want to make wise decisions with thought to the future in order to maintain that trust indefinitely. What is the hurry, unless they truly fear the debate and/or revelation of an unpopular agenda? The voices out there are warning of socialism and the sort, but I'm not ready to jump off that cliff and presume I know their intentions. America's ultimate decline is inevitable - that's the history of human civilization - but right now I sense we have the foot on the gas pedal trying to accelerate the outcome.

Is there no one interested in knowing and understanding the truth? Basic logic, common sense and knowledge seem to be lacking - spend money to keep from going bankrupt? What is that all about? And the majority of folks don't seem to care. They remain oblivious, or maybe resigned to whatever happens. People have gone to the race, they've picked their horse, and no amount of reason or argument will get them to think with an open mind. They will stay with that horse until they decide they want a new one. The system is so tainted and so cynical, it’s a wonder that there are any genuine, authentic people at all serving in public office. And despite the saturation of political coverage in last year's campaign, the genuine excitement in some quarters and genuine dread in others - I get the feeling that the masses are largely ignoring it all. Until it touches them personally - and eventually a bad economy will touch everybody - they are going to continue to tune it out. And even then, few will educate themselves on the issues sufficiently enough to have a well-informed opinion. Because in our American Idol culture, it’s all about the personalities.

I know America will continue for decades to come. Our history has demonstrated periods of national angst and social upheaval before. For my generation, maybe we're due for a major downturn to shake us out of our comforts. But for all its predictability, I remain amazed at our capacity for self-destructive behavior and ignorance. To coin the phrase - the truth is out there. But it's falling on deaf ears.

An Ache for Simplicity

It is a rare occurrence to find myself the first one awake on a Saturday morning, especially with two young boys in the house. The sun is up, there’s a light breeze tickling the leaves. The heat of the day is still to come, but right now it is fairly pleasant. It is quiet now – which likely won’t last long once the children awake. But I enjoy the moments of silence and peace when they come.

I ache for simplicity in ways I cannot even begin to count. It is not so much that I am too busy – everyone is – but rather I fear that I am wired in such a way that simplicity is too difficult a discipline to master. My mind is always working, seeking to understand why things are the way they are, why people act the way they do, and anticipating likely outcomes. In some ways, this is a gift, because it allows me to analyze a situation and strategize multiple outcomes, thereby navigating with care the choices and leadership decisions I make. Yet in other ways, it is not so much a gift, because there doesn’t seem to be an “off” switch. At times, I have an overwhelming impulse to make things right, or at least better. This, however, takes an extraordinary amount of energy – emotional, physical and spiritual. And when I fail, or fall short, frustration and anger tend to follow.

I find myself convinced that the joy I have been seeking all my life – the pure joy of living – is found in a perspective grounded in simplicity. How one manages the burdens of responsibility while maintaining a spiritual attitude of simplicity in matters of faith and daily living, I really don’t know. I’d love to figure that one out.

Nevertheless, it is quiet now. I’m still the only one awake. Time to cast my burdens and listen.

Maintenance

Given the infrequency at which I update this blog, you’d be hard pressed to believe that my passion is to write. Indeed, every time I sit down to craft a post, I end up tinkering with the design and layout of the site instead. I have a few new designs in various stages of completion, but none that I am completely happy with as yet. Perhaps I’ve fallen into the trap of thinking that once I have my setup “perfect,” I’ll be able to write.

It’s the same with trying to maintain the house. I am indeed blessed with a decent house and acreage. But maintaining the yard, landscape and living space is a constant struggle. There are any number of uncompleted projects awaiting my time and attention. Balancing family and job generally doesn’t leave much time for anything other than the bare necessities of home maintenance. Yet I keep thinking that once I get A and B done, then I can do C and D, which will make things so much better. But so often, A and B never quite get done. So I end up settling for bare minimums of maintenance, and don’t move forward and produce.

Maintenance is important, to be sure. But so is progress. Avoiding the disillusionment that comes with lack of progress is hard for me. It affects my motivation to do maintenance. I find that to be true in many areas of my life. I wonder if it would be better to focus maintenance on those things that enable me to move forward, as opposed to that which doesn’t produce anything more than the status quo. Could it be that the most important things to maintain are those things which, in the end, enable me to produce and grow? There’s a spiritual discipline in there somewhere.

Maybe there is something to the motto that my brother-in-law once adopted from Walt Disney. “Keep moving forward.” Maybe I need to take that more seriously.