(436 words, 120 seconds read)
Missions to the moon never excite me. Instead, the explorations cause my earnest and questioning objections.
It is an extravagant undertaking of misplaced priority that trivializes the global population’s critical issues and fast-deteriorating environment.
The compelling needs, urgencies and obligations recede from their empathetic significance whenever moon rockets shoot into space.
Public money gets shovelled into space to secure the egoistic medal of national pride over the exploring business of the moon mission. They say resources are abundant underneath its surface, and one dig will fill the sack. —a new mad gold rush thus about to begin.While still on Earth, global hunger and poverty need deeper digging and wiping out.
The cries of humans suffering from poverty, starvation, disease and epidemics passing through wars and violent conflicts, devastating global warming causing fires and flooding, the desperation of migrants and refugees rescuing themselves from the choppy waters to seek safe heavens, and those squatting on the other side of the barbed wall, do not morally and conscientiously allow us to delve into lavish moon adventures.
India joins the celestial race, with its vast population of over a billion people, where poverty, hunger, and homelessness are still a challenge ranking the nation at 107th spot out of 121 countries according to the Global Hunger Index 2022 figures.
Escalating shelter, food, medical and educational costs are the hardships that most of the population goes through in their daily grind. Millions still live, sleep on the city sidewalks, and cook simple meals on rudimentary ‘chulas’ or stoves fired with street garbage.
Unemployment never eases in the country. And those employed, including in government jobs, often see their salaries frozen for lack of funds. The latest victims of the nation’s claimed healthy economy are the engineers and other workers at the India Space and Research Organisation, who propelled the Chandrayaan-3 mission into space and have not been paid their salaries for over a year, according to The Wire report.
India and its ruling leadership can generate laudatory feats in its moon missions, but the ground realities do not justify the enormous expense of seeking this pride.
It’s a clear case of misplaced priorities. That also applies to other nations, including the wealthy United States, while facing its economic crisis with a deficit of billions of dollars, and where guns and racism still dominate its cultural behaviour.
Is stepping on the moon, planting national flags, digging for some metals, and offering rides to the super-wealthy more compelling and crucial than resolving poverty, homelessness, disease, environmental and refugee issues here on Planet Earth?
-Promod Puri
Promod Puri.com 