HELP A CHILD OR TAKE A JOYRIDE?

 HELP A CHILD OR TAKE A JOYRIDE?

We have all experienced and witnessed extremes in the life and living standards of different people. Our world is full of examples of overwhelming poverty and exorbitant wealth. If I had my choice of lifestyles I would prefer to be in the middle, with a tendency to enjoy the luxuries that money can buy as opposed to needing to search for my own food daily. Today, I watched the launch of the Good Shepherd space craft funded by billionaire Jeff Bezos as it took a ten-minute venture into the edge of outer space. This space tourism project raised a lot of questions for me.

A vivid memory I have of my trip to Uganda many years ago was watching a group of young boys playing soccer, without any shoes and many without any clothes, using a ball they constructed from palm leaves wrapped with twine. The temperature was very cool and the field sat on a mountainside blanketed by a thin fog. The smiles and joy that the kids exhibited were etched into my memory despite all of their issues. How could they be so happy in their poverty? Imagine how high they might have flown if their basic needs for food, clothing and an education had been provided for them.

Today, I watched a 2.9-billion-dollar project, thrust four humans into space for ten minutes to experience the thrill of a rocket launch and a couple of minutes of weightlessness. The price of a ticket for this little thrill ride was $28 million. Bezos’ intention is to build this activity into a modern version of old-fashion carnival rides or the Space Mountain ride at Disneyland. He envisions a profitable business with assorted millionaires standing in line for tickets. And he is probably right!

The disparity between my two mental images bothers me. The world always has had and always will have a huge chasm between the top ten percent who are extremely wealthy and the greater numbers who have inadequate food, water, shelter, clothing and health services. It just seems to me that the extravagance on display by today’s little rocket trip is of little real value to anyone but a few of the rich and maybe famous. 

The flight lasted ten minutes with a rocket that carried a manned capsule 100 km into the stratosphere and then it parachuted back to earth. For three minutes the passengers experienced weightlessness. I can admire the technology and expertise necessary to produce such a venture, but none of it was new or developmental in assisting future space flights. It appeared to be a pet project of a very rich man who was looking for a unique kick. As a young man, he probably drove fast cars and supercharged boats and planes and was looking for another personal high. I am sure he never spent any time shoeless or without clothes to wear or had to make his own play things. Of course, when you have more money than any human ever needs, you try to find ways to spend your loot. And Bezos spent billions on his Good Shepherd venture. He has every right to spend his money as he pleases. I just feel that it could have been used in a more humanitarian manner.

On the other hand, our world overflows with millions of people who would benefit from some financial assistance. There is no need to go into details as they are well known, but my thoughts return to my naked boys on a mountain top in the cold. Or to the kids who couldn’t go to school in Uganda because they needed to forage for food for their family. Or the young African boys forced to become soldiers or the young girls who turn to the sex trade to survive. A lot of people need a lot of help, especially young children.

I know that we cannot solve all of the world’s many problems, but they seem far more important to address than a rich man’s thrill-ride project. I should note that one of the four passengers was an 82-year-old female, so I should perhaps become more politically correct and call it a rich person’s thrill-ride. 

If you have read my second-last blog and this last sentence you will see that an old dog like me can still learn some new tricks!