I’ve been following the Olympics for some time now. The athletes put in years of effort to show the world what the human body is capable of at that stage. They wait every four years to fulfill their dreams and a promise to their country where people pray and hope as the individuals compete with other’s who are just as relentless as them. The funniest thing about the Olympics is that most countries barely look or support the athletes until D-Day. Nobody even knows the name of the athletes representing their country, but they cheer and cherish them as gods after they win a medal.
What I write can be controversial, but I feel I should write it anyway. Every soldier is proud to fight and die for their country. I understand fanatical jingoism on some level because I have the same passion for my work. But can we please land on mars without any flag?
We come here for all humankind.
Can we please put away every difference we created in the name of race, gender, religion, sexuality, region, or country, and for once emphasize that we as humans just landed on the planet as ONE. No country should be proud of the astronauts born on their land. I don’t hate many things globally, but I’d hate to see headlines saying “Indo-American” / “French-Asian” astronaut FirstName LastName makes history by stepping on mars.
Why?
What have you contributed to the person? Nothing. It’s not just that person’s dedication but a whole team of more than thousands of people that made that possible. That person alone is not useful alone and would have never achieved anything from stepping on Mars.
Be proud, but not because of where that person came from, their race, gender, etc. Be proud because we collectively achieved something that will pave the way for our growth as humans and the future generations to come.
I remember this website that had published my and my team-mates name on a website stating “Indian-Origin” researchers blah blah…...
It disturbed me so much that I reached out to the site’s admin and made sure to change the article heading. Coming from an Indian origin or ethnicity had nothing to do with what I had researched, innovated, or built. It was 76 sleepless hours of grueling work that we as a team had managed to achieve that product.
Media has divided us for a long time. Can we act as humans and not let society divide us as mere creatures who share this planet?
It would help if you never forgot your roots / where you come from, but remember that your origin should not divide you.
So I hope that when we step on mars, we do not plant flags as we did on the moon or Antarctica. Instead, we choose to plant no flag at all. If necessary, let it be a plain white flag to denote that we come in peace. We do not intend to make the same mistakes we made on planet earth and promise to protect it with everything possible in our favor.
Also, a part of me wishes the first landers on mars set an example to show and send a message to the world that we can still inculcate a message of peace in the world. Let us be an example to all the current humans and future generations of planet earth that our sister planet belongs to no one and everyone. It welcomes us to its harsh environment to obey its laws and live in harmony with anyone who wishes a new beginning and a fresh start. Not planting a flag of any country will symbolize that there is still hope of being “together” in a world divided by anything and everything like race, gender, sexuality, etc. The only way to stop that is not to talk about it. Furthermore, once we do that, any country that does plant a flag on Mars will be seen as a “not so keen to work with the country.” Either way, it is not a drastic step toward humanity, but it is a step in the right direction.
So Mars: Unflagged
