Realising I Will Never Touch The Stars

I often find myself saying one simple line to answer certain questions – Never say never.  I am a firm believer in the thought that anything is possible.  How can you say now to what you do not know about tomorrow?  However, I am starting to realise that I will never touch the stars.  The thoughts I had growing up of being able to travel around in space to other worlds always excited me.  Seeing programmes on the TV like Star Trek and Stargate always kept me thinking that one day this could all be possible.  What I could not comprehend back then though was the time it would take to develop a new type of technology like this.  Something completely unknown being invented to propel man further and faster into space than previously achieved before. 

Whilst I have always realised that I would never really be traveling in space myself, it was more mankind as a collective breaking the boundaries and pressing on with discovery that tantalised my mind.  I would love to hear that a new type of spacecraft has been designed that will take a team to a distant earth like planet. I would then be waiting eagerly on the edge of my seat waiting for the results.

However, knowledge has grounded my thoughts of ambition.  Although I can still say that you can never say never, the fact of the matter is that technologically we are nowhere near even creating a prototype, ideas have floated around but at the moment the thought of traveling to a distant planet in a human’s lifetime is impossible.

I have to come to terms with the fact that I will probably live out my life never knowing if there were other possibilities out there.  But does this say more about me than I would care to believe?  I have only just asked myself this question as I have wrote to this point.  It has never previously crossed my mind, but should I be satisfied with what I have?  After all, we are incredibly lucky to have not only evolved but to also be at the top of the food chain.  I have a life that is of better quality than anything before and here I am writing a post about still wanting to reach for more.

Having paused for almost 5 minutes whilst pondering what I have just wrote, I am going to chalk this one down to human nature.  It is not within us to just be content.  Set your mind wondering and it will trigger a world of possibilities in your imagination.  I am the happiest I have ever been in my life but I will still continue to look at the stars and wonder.  This is not because I am unsatisfied in life, but because I am a curious little being who lives on a rock that has helped my species evolve to understand, and more importantly, to dream!

The Future Of Humankind

Unfortunately, looking at the world today, the outcome for us as a species is not looking good.  We are called humankind for a reason, because we are all the same species.  We should be working together to solve our problems rather than fighting them out with our neighbors or enemies.

Recent events on the TV have made the world open their eyes to the atrocities that are being caused.  The deaths in Paris, School children massacred in Pakistan and these are just the recent ones.  Going back through our history, it has been full of colour, but all for the wrong reasons.

I can completely understand peoples varying views, and the need for action or confrontation based on a given event, but surely there are better ways of solving our problems.  Look at what we have achieved in our history.  We are innovators, inventors, we strive to make the impossible possible and collectively we are a force to be reckoned with.

The way the world is at the moment however, I do not see a way back for certain situations.  Both sides showing force with a strong opinion about not backing down.  What will this achieve?  Whichever side wins there will always be opposition and an uprising.  It is difficult to pigeon hole the world’s problems because they vary in cause but could you imagine a world that works together?  Could you imagine Russia, The United States of America, Chine and the EU all getting together to iron out problems and come up with solutions? 

Unfortunately in my eyes there is only one way that will unite the world and that is when we all face extinction.  Until then I think everyone will keep vying for power, territory and money.  The time will come when everyone has to unite to save ourselves and maybe then people will come together. 

Even in towns now the feeling of working together has gone.  I walk through my local town and it looks like it’s every man for himself, everyone focused on what they have to do and caring less and less about the people around them.  Unfortunately I also fall under this category.  I will think nothing less of putting in my earphone and drowning out the world with my favourite music rather than listening to other people’s pointless conversations.  I do however still behave like a gentleman, I open doors for people, I smile and be polite and I am always courteous.  Some days now I even welcome listening to a little conversation and as I’m getting older I sometimes find myself included in such conversations.

The world will not change overnight, we have to make the small changes and they will grow and combine and make bigger changes.  Start from home, start each day positive, make a little eye contact and give a little smile – you might just get one back!