Living in the moment is an axiom I strive to uphold. These days, it’s a challenge, and for obvious reasons. You can’t go too far and not hear disturbing information, mostly about our nation, our leadership, our press, our government, etc. Living in these moments can be rather uncomfortable. Sometimes escaping them is necessary.
My escape last week was NASA’s announcement of the TRAPPIST-1 system. Seven, Earth-sized planets orbiting an ultra-cool red dwarf star, all within the habitable zone? MIND BLOWN! Just imagine: seven planets close enough to their star to possibly cradle some form of life, and the entire system only forty light years away.
On my evening walk with my sons the day of the announcement, I pointed into the sky at our moon and the first few twinkling stars, familiar objects in their unfolding universe. I explained the new discovery to them, how there are seven worlds out there, possibly like our own. My sons are three and two years old. My explanations were obviously too complex for them to comprehend.
They went back to running amok, tinkering with whatever they could get their hands on. As they lived in their moments, I saw it: the future. My two boys, along with all the children in the world their age, will eventually know far more about what those celestial bodies hold. If it’s true our children’s jobs haven’t been invented yet, they might one day be the first to travel beyond our solar system. Just think of it. It’s a great escape from the moment.
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Photo credit: Robert Couse-Baker.