As I was reading about how our public debt problem has already been solved because of the endless, robust GDP growth America will experience in the future, I thought what I always think—Americans live almost entirely in a fantasy world. More than any in other society on Earth, Americans are in headlong flight away from Reality.
But perhaps I need to re-think that position. A Dutch company has announced Mars One, which does America one better—
Mars One is a not-for-profit organization that will take humanity to Mars in 2023, to establish the foundation of a permanent settlement from which we will prosper, learn, and grow.
Before the first crew lands, Mars One will have established a habitable, sustainable outpost designed to receive astronauts every two years. To accomplish this, Mars One has developed a precise, realistic plan based entirely upon existing technologies. It is both economically and logistically feasible, in motion through the integration of existing suppliers and experts in space exploration.
We invite you to participate in this journey, by sharing our vision with your friends, by supporting our effort and, perhaps, by becoming the next Mars astronaut yourself.
Presumably, living on Mars right now would be far better than living in Europe, especially living in Spain, Greece, Portugal or Italy. But that is not all because Mars One is the gift that keeps on giving.
Consider this from the Los Angeles Times' Life on Mars? Dutch company to offer one-way trips to the Red Planet.
How does this group expect to fund this effort, which would surely cost in the multiple billions of dollars? Reality TV, of course!
Mars One plans to televise every aspect of the mission and involve the whole world in the run up to the launch. As Nobel Prize-winning physicist Gerard ‘t Hooft says in Mars One’s introductory video, “This is going to be a media spectacle. ‘Big Brother’ will pale in comparison.”
So in other words, while NASA astronauts will be walking in the footsteps of Neil Armstrong, potential Mars One astronauts will be walking in the footsteps of Donald Trump.
Actually, that Donald Trump analogy is not apt. I hope some of you remember Peter Weir's 1998 film The Truman Show, in which "Truman" (Jim Carrey) lives his entire life from birth until his escape (at the end of the movie) as the unwitting star of the world's most popular television show. Truman's got a fake wife (Laura Linney), fake friends (Noah Emmerich)—they're all actors selling products—and a fake job. The entire town he lives in is the biggest movie set ever conceived. It's so big that it's visible from space! (See the trailer below.)
In this Mars One case, we can watch the intrepid astronauts take off, and if that's successful, we can watch their misery during the journey, watch them fight over limited resources, and, eventually, watch them die one by one, perhaps long before they get to Mars. Or maybe they'll die during the Mars landing. Or maybe they'll die within a week after landing successfully on the Red Planet. Lots of suspense there! Sounds like fun!
Mars One would be way better than the Truman Show. Real life is always better than fiction.
It is a Friday, so I will leave it at that. If you want more juicy details, check out the astronaut qualifications. (Must have an overwhelming death wish is not among them.)
However, before finishing up, I want to take this opportunity to delineate the role of Fantasy in human life on this planet now and in the future. Here's a general rule of thumb to watch for—
As human quality of life deteriorates on Earth as the 21st century goes on, the retreat into fantasy will become more and more pronounced.
Mars One is a case in point. The Mars One video directly below is required viewing if you have any sense of humor at all. Don't miss it, because "Mars One will be the most spectacular media event ever, watched by everyone on the globe."
Have a nice weekend.
These outbursts of violence with all the shootings these days one does wonder if people start losing it en masse . And this one the opposite end of that spectrum not violent in nature but actually the exact same level of insanity manifesting itself in a delusional fantasy presented by the highest level of intellectual forces . Bat shit crazy !
Posted by: Frank Furcsa | 01/11/2013 at 10:45 AM