(Phil here, with a note about this post, a “Counterpoint” column I wrote last summer, in hopes, as always, it might add perhaps a drop of elder wisdom to the cup. Imagine the impact, if billions of people one way or another expressed good, hopeful thoughts about being human. The news of the world is not getting any better is it? So I thought I would post it again today, sort of send it off into Cyber space and see what happens. It’s a long shot, I know; but anything is possible.)

We are a remarkable species indeed, to be able to conceive of and build and send a spacecraft hurtling billions of kilometres into space, to the furthest reaches of the solar system where the dwarf planet, Pluto, and its largest moon, Charon, revolve around each other in wobbly orbits.

And then, as NASA’s New Horizons probe sped past the  two, to be able to send back to Earth photos of remarkable detail and clarity of what they look like, including the strange, heart-shaped feature on Pluto itself – what a remarkable, what an astounding achievement that is as well.

It has taken the New Horizons spacecraft 10 years, traveling at a speed of 50,000 km/hr, to reach the vicinity of Pluto and Charon. You do the math. That’s a long, long way to go.

Most of us don’t have the extremely diverse, collective, scientific expertise required to make such a thing happen. But isn’t it characteristic of human beings to have a wide variety of talents? Isn’t it possible that’s a big part of what makes us who we are after all? Continue reading →