Be an Astronaut at times like these

I highly encourage you to read the entire story - there's more. All too often, we forget the human element...and to manifest compassion.
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/48033
Hey folks, Harry here... After the recent tragedy in Arizona, the following media reaction, the back & forth... I have been a bit down regarding mankind in general. I don't know. Civility has always had me as a fan. My thoughts in the aftermath seemed a little dark for me. I hated that. So I decided to watch STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE, Robert Wise's Director's cut. I just, I needed something hopeful about mankind. Generally, that takes me to Roddenberry. And the most Roddenberry of the Trek films was Robert Wise's. Watching that movie, the decisions that Kirk makes, the observations of Spock and the concerns of McCoy... they're perfect. It isn't an action film, it's an unknown situation and they don't rush to judgement, they don't fire phasers, mainly because they're f*!^*d up with the Warp Engines, so they discharge a photon torpedo to hit that asteroid in that Warp induced Wormhole... but the point is, they never act brashly.

Right now, more than ever we as a people have a problem, we're not necessarily built to process instant half-truths and opinions at the rate they're being sent at us. This problem was building before we had the internet, but with it... it amplified. Instead of thinking with empathy... relating to the tragedy, we want to blame, get angry, go nuts. Blame Palin. Blame Obama. Blame Don't Ask Don't Tell. Tonight, I read a story about the shooter's parents. The mother has been bedridden with grief and they are paralyzed with the horror of this. And instead of hating them, I felt compassion. What if my kid became a publicly decried monster. If anything, that's the key thought we should all be having. What would be going through your head if someone you loved suddenly became the poster boy for all sides to scream about.

I'm tired of living in times where we HATE those with opposing views from our own.

We have so far to go as a people. We can be so much better than what we are being. I know, I'm bully pulpit-ing on a site that should probably not even discuss the situation. But well, this is where my mind went when I saw the following video.

NASA holds a lot of our geek ideals. They think, long term. 1000 years from now. Somebody has to. The fact is, we're diving through our resources, we're getting angrier as a society - and I know that in my lifetime... this won't change. But tonight, as my wife crawled into bed and we were chatting and she was enjoying her early birthday present, I found this NASA video.
[youtube:i1xci4wr][/youtube:i1xci4wr]

Be an Astronaut at times like these. A figure of strength, intelligence and acting for the good of mankind. Think NASA thoughts...

Thanks Grady!