These types of questions are always asked by those that would rather imagine nothing than imagine the impossible. Living is dangerous. We need to learn to dream wildly again. Ask questions about the unimaginable, follow that deep nagging in our gut to go to those places that frighten us the most and be prepared to find the most awe inspiring realty.
It seems to be one of our unfortunate human traits that we are more prepared to accept mediocrity in our lives than demand that we live to our ultimate capability on a daily basis. We accept the daily grind as a necessity in our existence. And it is that limiting belief entrenched in us over years that bring about questions such as whether travel to Mars is too dangerous.
Didn’t we conquer travel to the Moon from concept to delivery in a mere ten years? Hasn’t the human race solved numerous medical, engineering, scientific, mathematical, philosophical and social problems? Sure we may have also caused a few. But isn’t that the definition of growth. To endeavour to change and adapt to need. If we believe in the evolutionists theory, isn’t it how we got here in the first place?
I live what I regard as a small life, one not destined for grandness no matter how hard I tried. I was good at sport but not outstanding. Great academically but not brilliant. I worked hard and fell into the daily pattern of earning an income, and succumbing to the too-ing and fro-ing of life. I believed that this was my role in life. Wife, weekly wage earner, and later business owner. A boring ritualistic grind experienced simultaneously by millions of others rapidly becoming too tired to even think about dreaming.
I had dreamed of doing great things. Travelling to other worlds. I read about those that had accomplished the most amazing feats. Sir Edmund Hillary, John F Kennedy, Dalai Lama, Richard Branson, Rupert Murdoch, Kerry Packer, Ronald Dworkin and thousands more all have achieved the unreachable for someone like me. But just knowing that the dreamers are still dreaming gives me hope.
More importantly it is these people and their dreams that sustain my passion to dream and become better. To learn to forget the disappointments and become more focused on something more pure, more central to who I am and my destiny, be that large or small in the overall puzzle of the human race.
So the question does not become is it too dangerous to travel to Mars but what will become of us if we don’t at least try!
