Blastoff to Huntsville

                                                  Me in front of the " brain" of the Saturn V . Huntsville Alabama US Space and Rocket Museum. Photo by Brian

Brian and I took a mini road trip north to Huntsville, Alabama today. The purpose of our trip was to visit the world-renowned US Space and Rocket Museum.  Huntsville is less than an hour from where we had our rented cabin, and since the weather did not look favorable for outdoor activities, we chose to get our steps indoors. 

 The museum did NOT disappoint. As a child growing up in the 1980's the shuttle launches were big deals to both me and my younger brother. Sally Ride was a personal shero of mine until her death. Brian, having grown up in Florida-- also has a connection to the Space Movement. {He tells everyone-- and I mean everyone-- the story of his parents meeting at Banana River Naval Air Station, which is now Cape Kennedy.  

                                          Brian in front of a space shuttle. Photo by me. 

 Today reminded me that we humans are capable of doing great things to advance our species when we work together. the US Space program had been a team effort with Russia-- a nation which the US has not had good relations. {we still don't but that is for different reasons} We had to " play nicely" with the neighborhood bully. 

When we co-operate, humanity advances. When we fight amongst ourselves, we stay stagnant or regress. Together, we put people in orbit and landed on the moon. We built working international space stations. Our satellite technology keeps improving communications {How many young'uns know how to read a paper map?}

Yet we still are territorial and look for people " not like us" to scapegoat. As communities and a nation, we are unwilling to share our resources with others whose ideals do not line up 100 percent with ours. 

Imagine what we human can do to repair the world...  tikkun olam...if we just see each other as PEOPLE... siblings of the human race. By choosing to continually divide ourselves, we are making our species weaker. 

John Lennon said it best in his _Imagine_ lyrics: 

"Imagine there's no Heaven

It's easy if you try

No Hell below us

Above us only sky

Imagine all the people
Living for today
Ah, ah, ah-ah

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion, too

Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
Yoo-hoo, ooh-ooh

You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions

I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
Yoo-hoo, ooh-ooh

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one"

That is my prayer. 

We need to live as one HumanKind. 

"You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one"

Namaste...

Sarah Beth McCarren