Invest in Togetherness

Artemis II Misson commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and 2 mission specialists, Jeremy Hansen and Christina Koch, circled the far side of the moon. They traveled further in outer space than any other humans, unless unknown alien travelers might qualify as “human!” The utter joy of the astronauts in seeing first-time sights was contagious. I watched the splashdown with family and was spellbound by the sheer complexity of NASA predictions that the astronauts would return to Earth at 8:07 ET. A correction was made when first announced that it was 8:07 and 47 seconds, only to be updated to 8:07 and 27 seconds. This was one of countless NASA precision details that dazzled us.

The three Americans and one Canadian experienced Earth views that showed the entire planet in just one windowpane out of their spacecraft windows. “Trust us, you look amazing,” exclaimed pilot Victor Glover to those of us at home plate. The team of astronauts did not see wars. They did not see nation boundaries. They saw one colorful planet holding togetherness in the infinite cosmic darkness.

As the astronauts were heading home, Glover communicated with a fellow astronaut on the ground: “Tell the world to keep this energy going. Let’s invest in togetherness.”

Some readers will recall their goose bumps when watching another team of moon pioneers in 1969. Communication from that moon voyage sticks like velcro in your memory if you watched the epic moments: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” exclaimed Neil Armstrong. Along with Buzz Aldrin, Armstrong walked in awe on the moon’s surface while lesser-known command module pilot Michael Collins orbited alone. During his solo sojourn he was cut off from radio communication for 21+ hours, but Collins calmly collected his teammates for a safe return home.

What effective communication are we humans cut off from today? With strife on many parts of our precious planet, our communication to resolve differences is key. Perhaps we are forgetting about the plaque that was left on the moon by Apollo astronauts with the following words: “Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon. July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all mankind.”  The plaque held the signatures from the Apollo 11 crew and President Nixon.

Let’s applaud NASA on another successful space mission but let’s also take care of our planetary cousins. Too often we endorse peace for some, not all.

Civil Rights activist James Baldwin wrote in Nothing Personal, “…it is not fixed; the earth is always changing. The light is always changing; the sea does not cease to grind down rock. Generations do not cease to be born, and we are responsible to them.”

Yes, we owe it to future generations to invest in peace for togetherness on planet Earth.

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz

488. What meaning do you take away from space exploration?

489. How might you engage in peaceful dialogues with someone who has different views from your own?