Elon Musk is making plans to send men to Mars. They will be going on a one-way journey. It will take them months to get there. Once they arrive, there is no short-term way to return. They are risking it all.
In 1620, 132 people boarded a small ship and sailed west. They were at sea for 10 weeks, nearly three months. The trip to Mars will take 115 days, or so, 16.4 weeks. Not all that much longer than the trip on the Mayflower.
The colonization of America, by Europe, was a daunting task. Most people who made the journey had no expectation of every being able to return to the land of their birth. When they arrived, they might be with earlier colonists, or they might be in a new location.
When they landed, they had to survive. They had limited resources to forge a new life in a new land. Some died, others thrived.
That sense of “we can do” is part of our heritage. It is part of my heritage. I hope it is part of your heritage.
Over the last half century, it feels like we have lost that mindset.
My Ex. used to tell me what her mother taught her, “Why try? You know you are going to fail.” There were so many things that she never tried because she “knew” she would fail.
My parents instilled in me a sense of ability. Do you want to go fishing? Go fishing. Do you want to go hunting? Go hunting. Do you want to disassemble your motorcycle to attempt to repair it? Do it.
Everything I attempted my parents were there giving me support to succeed. I hope I have given that same level of support to my children.
I came out of that childhood knowing that I can do better, do well, succeed. Failure is a possibility, but a failure is just a data point, telling me how not to do that thing. Now go try again.
We lost that.
We wait for the government to show up and help. “What are the ten scariest words in the English language? We’re from the government, we’re here to help.” — Ronald Reagan.
Katrina showed that. Sandy showed that. Those cities could not deal, they demanded help from the country. The government responded. And the people were not satisfied.
This weekend, hurricane Helene made landfall. Florida was hit, but the storm moved north and dumped water on the Carolinas, Georgia, and Tennessee. People describe it as a once in a 1000-year storm.
Entire mountains washed away. Homes, businesses, roads, bridges are all washed away in the mud slides and water.
I had family that used to live in that area. I’ve been there. It is gorgeous. Living on the side of a mountain, where your driveway leads to a family road, and it is 1000 feet in elevation to reach a county road.
I can close my eyes and see it, and it is beautiful.
Our government cannot help us. When we talk about FEMA coming to help, what they actually bring is a checkbook. They are money people. They are management people. FEMA has no construction equipment, rescue gear, supplies on hand to help in an Emergency.
They are there to pay bills.
So instead, the American Spirit came out in force.
Because our Government has been failing us, we, The People, have been learning that we have the power. We can do. We do have a voice.
And that spirit is there in the South East. It is people dragging their Bass Boats up from the Gulf coast to do rescue missions. It is private pilots, flying their personal copters into to the area with supplies and to rescue people.
It is a company that trains pack mules showing up with mule trains to haul supplies.
It is people sending targeted donations. It is people handing some of their food and supplies for the mobile to move forward.
It is people, who, like myself, own construction equipment (John Deere 210C), showing up and putting their equipment to use.
It is we, The People, acting like a community, standing shoulder to shoulder doing the right thing.
I don’t have places for you to donate. I don’t have a list of things that are needed.
Find those for yourself. If you do locate a source that you trust, please tell us and include your source or reason for trusting.
God bless and watch over those at risk.
