By all rights, this should be something I am deeply passionate about. I’ve been in tech/engineering my entire adult life and was obsessed with NASA as a kid. I even live on the east coast of Florida and can sometimes see the launches/landings over the ocean. But I just… don’t care at all. I’m not suffering from depression or any other malaise, and generally things are fine. But I haven’t clicked on a single link or looked at a single image. I know this has not been the case for many, many people, so I’m wondering what might be different about this launch (or really the whole program in general), and curious if anyone else has found themselves feeling the same.
to me at least and I believe many other people too, space travel seamed like an impossible magical fantasy as kids. it was fascinating and opened the door for imagination. as we became older and more aware and also as the world around us changed, like most things it became less magical and less impossible. additionally most of us especially in this modern political environment most of had unintentionally realigned their priorities. space travel sounded less utopian and magical and more dystopian and bad prioritization. also people like elon musk has just ruined it for an entire generation. I used to admire the man as a kid now everything he is involved in is just meaningless political tools and corporational greed to me.
seeing how bleak humanity’s future is and how corrupt and ruined the planet became suddenly the idea of someone going to a rock in space became less important. it also didn’t help that this event coincides with the current war in iran and gaza and the trump administration. as someone from the middle east, it felt eerie seeing the same flag that represents tyranny and murder to also represent scientific advancement and human achievement.