A recent editorial cartoon shows a series of “firsts” — Laika, the first dog in space; Yuri, the first man in space; Neil, the first man on the moon; and Rosetta, which carried the first instrument to land on a comet whizzing through space at enormous speed. Wow!

I vividly remember Neil Armstrong’s first lunar step and John Glenn orbiting earth. Alan Shepard’s 1961 “Freedom 7” flight lifted into the heavens and lifted our hearts to astronomical heights of euphoric patriotism. The chant, “U-S-A! — U-S-A!” hadn’t been coined yet — but “goosebumps” had been. And we all had ’em. Wow again!

Nowadays (for some) the same breathtaking thrill exists when Apple launches a new iPhone. Admittedly, a smartphone has more sophisticated electronics than were in “space capsules.” I marvel at mind-boggling devices designed to make our lives more comfortable and productive. I prefer “productive” to “easier” — there’s no discovery in “easy.” No “Ah-ha!” moment.

The holidays always wax nostalgic for an America that today is somehow not the way life used to be. I lament those days, when prudent funding allocated for space exploration superseded unlimited funding for exploring whatever it is we’re seeking in the Middle East morass.

Our seasonal and delusional prayer for “peace on earth, goodwill to men” is highly improbable as long as (mostly men) take religion and antiquated “scripture” so seriously and literally. Do they think God really cares about religion? But I digress.

Back to cartoons. I saw a beauty in The New Yorker. Two spacemen discover a woman’s body, clad in a housecoat, sprawled on the moon’s surface. The kneeling spaceman says, “It’s Alice Kramden.”

Perhaps now you’re smiling. Hope so. Happy holidays!

Buddy Doyle, Gardiner


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