A Letter to the White House....

Dear Mr. President Obama,

It is highly improbable that you will ever read this, much less know of its existence, but if by some odd chance you do see this, I hope, that as a young American and one of the uprising generation, my opinion will not be overlooked.

My letter to you involves the topic of space travel and the way in which it is achieved. I realise that there are two ways of confronting this subject, the first being the emotional sob-story way, and the other being the hard-worn path of logic. Since I can not make up my mind which to use, I will use them both.

First, for as long as I can remember, I have held a certain fascination for outer space, and it has been a constant dream of mine to become an astronaut and some day walk on other planets. It was only recently that I discovered that not only has the future of an astronaut become a series of monotonous missions to the ISS, but that even this routine task is to become accomplished by an expensive contract with a foreign power.

Mr. President, where is the joy of exploration and the thrill of doing that which no man before has done when one is performing experiments in a crowded satellite with no assurance that the knowledge being gained will ever be put to use in the capacity it is meant for - namely, the exploration of outer space? And now, even the excitement of doing something for America is dashed in view of the fact that it is done in utter reliance upon a foreign power.

Secondly - and this view I will break up into several different points - there is the logical view. There are several components to this view, including that of national security and - on a more global scale - that of the good of humanity.

The first point, that of national security, refers back to the total dependence on foreign powers. While I am fully aware that a contract with another nation may be more cost effective, I am also aware of the risk involved in such a venture. If, and I say if, our relations with the other nation became other than friendly, not only is our entire means of transportation in outer space obliterated, but also the lives of American astronauts could be endangered, and the other nation would hold a high military advantage over us.

I say the latter because if space travel is possible, why not a moonbase? And if a nation has no qualms about breaking a contract, what is to prevent them from building a large piece of military equipment capable of firing at any point in the USA from outer space? I realise, of course, that this is a very politically incorrect possibility to discuss, but even if it is not discussed, is it wise to dismiss it as impossible?

Secondly, on the grounds of the good of humanity, it has been suggested by some that the over-population of planet Earth, or some global tragedy such as an epidemic, could threaten our home planet and make it unable to sustain life. Although I have my own reasons to believe that such a things are highly improbable, they are, nonetheless, possibilities I think a world leader ought to consider.

If such a tragedy were to occur, would it not be logical to have another place to go that the human race be preserved? And if so, then the fact remains that we need to find that place. If planet Earth were to be destroyed, the only other logical place would be another planet, and the only means of discovering such a planet and learning to survive on it is to send manned-missions to other planets and conducting experiments there.

As a Christian, which I believe you have professed to be, you must know that one of the great things about being a Christian is the assurance that such a global tragedy will not occur unless it be the will of God. You will also know, however, that as we make new scientific discoveries, we learn more about our God - His orderly organization of creation and His love of beauty. He has told us to "subdue the earth," and by delving into the mysteries of creation, on this planet and beyond, we learn more principles of the universe, and thus practical applications of those principles, thereby subduing the earth more fully.

Lastly, I appeal to your sense of national pride. America has a history of people repeatedly demonstrating perseverance and determination; it became a world power as a result. You have proven your own perseverance in many ways throughout your term in office. How can you simply sign over one of our nations greatest achievements to a foreign power and tell NASA to do something other than the space travel it was created to do?

Thank you for taking the time to read through this lengthy note, and thank you for your continued leadership of this nation. Although I personally do not agree with all of your policies and ideals, I am grateful for your efforts and will continue to pray for you.

Respectfully,

Have you ever considered our grand heritage? The work poured into the Constitution; the wars fought for independence, in which, men sacrificed their lives for the country. Why? Because all that they knew and loved was in our country. They felt that their lives were worth dying if it was to bring independence and safety to America. They asked in return that we do our duty, and remain loyal.

"It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us - that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion - that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom - and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." ~Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address.

This speech was given after the Civil War, but it could refer to any war that ever happened in our history (e.g. The War for Independence, the War of 1812, World War I and II, the Vietnam war, The Iraq war, etc.), and any sacrifice done out of love for this country. Are we letting those who have given their lives and their all to purchase our freedom and further our comfort be fully honored and respected by us?
Honestly, I know not the answer to this question. The best way we could honor them is by enjoying the result of their labor, and by striving to do the same. Are we doing this? There are two questions we need to ask ourselves,

1. Are we spending too much of our time complaining about the price of food or what not to enjoy our nation's abundance, and rejoice that God has blessed her through the labor of others?

2. Are we lazily sitting around, and wanting others to do the work for us, or are we taking up the call to work, and to work heartily?

I used to think, "Why should we serve our country? We should serve God." I didn't realize I was missing the point. One of the ways I can serve God is through serving my country. I can serve Him by doing my work heartily and as unto Him, and my country will benefit from that.
How can we serve the country? Simply by doing our best in the work around us and inspiring others to do the same. Both the mom working in the home for her family, and the soldier on the battlefield are serving the country. We can also serve America by praying for her, and preaching the Gospel, for it needs to be heard! We can obey the laws set by the government and respect those in the leadership unless the laws go against the Word of God.
Therefore, let me encourage you to do your best in all your work for God's glory, and the people around you will benefit (and possibly be encouraged to do likewise), and through that, the country will also benefit.

Note: I didn't mean for this to be so long and dry, in fact, I never planned to write anything so dry on my blog! I got a little carried away after reading the Gettysburg address in my grammar book, and simply had to get out my thoughts about it somewhere. Therefore, don't take my post too seriously, as I am hardly a politician of any sort. :)