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When most of us feel like we are trapped in an age and culture of narcissism and radicalism, Elon Musk has shown up to lift us out of our depression and offered an uplifting perspective for the United States, and even the world. His latest Space X “chopsticks” endeavor elevated us out of our funk on so many levels that I thought the effects on not only the U.S., but the world, were noteworthy.
Although his other major endeavors—Tesla, Neuralink, Starlink and Twitter—are inspirational in their own ways, Space X is the project that provides us with the most hope.
For one, Elon Musk is the epitome of the daring entrepreneur. He’s fearless, willing to do almost anything to realize his aspirations. For many years he has dreamed of going to Mars and also making our species multiplanetary. He has made many sacrifices, and worked many long hours and days, to make this goal happen. He inspires us to imagine our presence in the larger universe and to imagine endless possibilities for the future.
Musk also refuses to take “no” for an answer. He demands that his people strive for the impossible (or at least what they think is impossible). He expects them to practice his work ethic and excitement for the future. He’s not afraid to try and fail and to try and fail again, because he believes in experimenting and is willing to change course when necessary. He refuses to accept defeat and will try over and over again to win success.
He is also a model for creativity and inspires his workers to be creative, too. No idea is too radical or insignificant to be considered if it moves the project forward.
Fiscal restraint is also a part of his outlook. He makes every effort to ensure that time is spent efficiently on any part of a project and that costs are driven down to the lowest amount, without sacrificing excellence.
In a time when we see government out of control, with little accountability for errors and an unwillingness to take responsibility for its missteps, Elon Musk tells us how it’s done.
He gives us hope.
Discussion (10)
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I hope he has a chance to bring his skills and infuse his attitude on our bloated and corrupt swamp! Talk about a revolution. WOW.
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In spite of all my praise for him, I do have questions about his work with the swamp. His temperament with the government could create problems. But I'm happy to have him try!
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There was a 1964 film, 'With Their Eyes on the Stars', celebrating the space program and placing it in the context of American history and exploration. Music, traditional and new, by John Stewart. Most people over the last 2 or 3 decades would have considered it laughably corny, but maybe that level of hope and idealism can come again soon.
Whole thing at YouTube: https://youtube.com/watch?v=T1NqLcUDULE
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I love the idea of celebrating exploration and the future! Maybe we need to update the music and some of the ideas, but we live at a time when people would benefit from the optimism and anticipation. Maybe Elon can hire someone!
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I'd prefer that Musk keep his distance from government. I admire his boldness and his genius, but I don't conflate either of those with wisdom, and smart men who lack wisdom are dangerous. I'm not claiming that Musk lacks wisdom; I just consider it an open question. He's good at what he's doing, and there aren't many (any?) who can do what he can. I'd just focus on staying out of his way and letting him innovate and explore.
Considering this from the opposite direction, I also think that Trump's idea of bringing someone in to make government more efficient is a fool's errand. It's true that our government is inefficient, but inefficiency is a side effect. The problem is the scope of government. Doing all the wrong things, no matter how efficiently -- well, that was the appeal of a Mitt Romney. Unless and until we can narrow the scope of government, inefficiency and corruption will continue to fester there.
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