Okay, so NASA recently crashed a couple of spaceships into the moon to see if there’s any water there, because if there is, eventually, when we have a base there (!), we won’t have to bring our own water along to do the dishes and take long hot showers. Awesome, right? Um, sure. Maybe. Except, let’s think about a few things first:
1. Does anybody actually WANT to go to the moon? We’ve all seen pictures of the moon, and it’s hardly a vacation paradise. Unless of course you’re really into craters, the color gray, and breathing recirculated air out of a helmet. Then again, you’d be on the MOON. But if you’ve never been to a Hard Rock Café, it looks like it must be the coolest place in the world—and then when you actually go to one, you realize it’s just another place to eat a big burger, only a little fancier and a lot more expensive and you have to stand in a longer line to get there. Going to the moon's probably like that.
P.S. There are no burgers on the moon.
2. Smashing things into other things: is this science? I suppose it is if we’re talking about particle accelerators. But we’re not (does anybody, ever?) We’re talking about giant spacecraft nose-diving into the moon dirt. This is the demolition derby for space geeks. If this is science, then I have some other experiments I want to try. Like, what happens when I poke this frog with a stick? What if I make a big pile of illegal fireworks and throw a match at it? How about if I stick a non-microwaveable dish in the microwave and turn it on high? (Sparklers, do not do any of these things. It’s not even okay if you’re wearing safety goggles.)
3. We cannot escape ourselves. Some of you might be in cool schools that already teach philosophy. So you might have already heard the saying, “wherever you go, there you are.” Unfortunately, this is true. Even if we do make it to the moon someday, we’re still going to be people, and we will bring our people problems to the moon with us. Being in space will not make your teeth straight. You’ll still get nervous to audition for the school play, even though you’ll also be weightless. And you’re probably still going to have a crush on another astro-student who just isn’t that into you. Wherever you go, there you are, even if “there” is the moon.
4. What’s wrong with being here on earth? Okay don’t answer that. Sometimes there is a lot that is wrong with being here. Here can sort of feel like the aftermath of the big party on “Sixteen Candles," when Long Duk Dong drove the family car into a lake and there’s a turntable spinning with a pizza on it and Anthony Michael Hall got trapped under a glass coffee table, unable to breathe. But is the moon really the answer? Is it?
Related Post: Generation Green
Topics: Life
Tags: science, outer space
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