For a long time, it has been assumed that the most extreme sacrifice that
could be asked of a citizen was to go to war for one's country, and possibly loose one's
life doing it. Now it appears that there is worse: one can envisage going into space as
a settler, and - at best - becoming a different life form. Still an American, no doubt, but an
Martian-American !! Now that is weird!
Fine, the video above is perhaps a tad melodramatic, and some of these adaptation
problems will need to find solution before anybody strutts out there. But physical things break
down, and need replacement and repair. Material progress on Earth would be vertiginously rapid
when seen from the vantage point of a Mars colony.
To be humane about it, people would need to be allowed to come back. Neanderthals and Early
Humans were separated for long periods, but when they did meet they could still mate. In
the case of settlement on Mars, this ability could well disappear quite quickly. So out and out
madness is never far!!
* * *
It' supposed to keep raining till 2 o'clock tomorrow afternoon. Just thought I would
share this little late-night moment. Kumail Nanjiani is a likeable comedian. Read on Wikipedia
that he studied philosophy; a kindred soul for me...
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