Years ago, when Musk first started up SpaceX, I said to all my friends that he was the Delos D. Harriman of our time. Since I appreciate the reference may be obscure, D.D. Harriman was "The Man Who Sold The Moon" in the Heinlein short story of that title. He also figures in a beautiful but bittersweet Heinlein short story titled "Requiem." Both are well worth the read, though best to keep a box of Kleenex nearby, especially for "Requiem."
In "The Man Who Sold The Moon," Harriman is bitterly opposed in his attempt to build a spacecraft to travel to the Moon and back: by the U.S. government, by his competitors, by his board of directors, even by his own family. It's quite the eye-opener given that the story was written in 1949: even then, Heinlein saw more deeply into the future than most.
I doubt we'll see a religious version of Scudder in this country...but the quasi-religious fervor of the Left does make me very nervous in that regard.
Lucky for us the Left hasn't yet found anyone capable of filling Scudder's shoes...except maybe Mr. Obama.
Your point about Elon’s need for a survivorship plan, to institutionalize his vision, is well taken and worrisome. He is probably the most important person in the world right now, and we need at least three more decades of his genius. The future of humanity may depend on it.
I've been a faithful reader of Instapundit since its inception and have not ever corresponded with you. After reading this powerful and insightful essay, I am moved to tell you how much I appreciate you and the extraordinary contribution you have made to the restoration of sanity to our political discourse. Yours has been the first site I read every morning for years. Elon Musk may indeed be "the indispensable man," but in your own way so are you.
I'm not sure how long I've been reading Instapundit, but it has been a really long time. The site is at the top of my "favorites" bookmarks, and like you, it is the first site I visit every day (and revisit throughout the day). In my opinion, Instapundit and RealClearPolitics are the two most useful sources of information about current events on the internet.
People like Elon Musk flourish and multiply where there is freedom. When freedom is restricted, we get fewer Elon Musks. Those without that type of ability often lust for power as a substitute. It feeds their narcissistic nihilism, and in order to maintain their power, they have to eliminate the Musks of the world. Extraordinary ability can succeed against massive corruption, or even opposition of the masses, but sometimes that only happens after their deaths, e.g. Galileo. If the size and power of the government can be reduced and freedom increased, then we'll have many more Elon Musks, and there will simply be too many with too much value to humanity to eliminate. That might be wishful thinking, but I'm an optimist.
Polymaths don't grow on trees, that's for sure. Living at the same time as Musk has to be a lot like having lived in the same time as DaVinci or Newton or Tesla. All scared the snot out of the vast majority of people who encountered them, because they were so disruptive to the established order. The ruling classes of the times wanted them dead. Contemporaries envied and tried to undermine them. The masses regarded them with alternating adulation and approbation, depending on which way the wind was blowing. But the changes they wrought on the direction of humanity could not be undone by something as simple as death. Those changes were permanent: what has been seen cannot be unseen, what has been learned is not unlearned. Others picked up after them and carried on, carried farther.
So it will be with Musk. It takes generational talent to first open doors no one even suspected were there, but as soon as that first crack appears, others will rush to cross the threshold. This is what those wishing for his death don't understand. It's too late. The "damage", if you consider it that, has been done. Even if Musk (and Trump, for that matter) are eliminated far too many have seen glimpses of what's on the other side of that door and nothing is going to stop them from going through it now.
God bless both Trump and Musk and their courage in confronting our country’s very big problems.
Here’s an idea I will throw out to help restore this country’s greatness well into the future: don’t put a Chicago/Cook County Democrat in the White House, especially one who campaigns as a ‘reform candidate.’ Please.
Our country’s current record in this regard is decidedly poor, with Chicago/Cook County Dems winning three presidential popular votes. We can do better.
I admire Elon Musk and all he has achieved. I think he is doing an important job on behalf of the president. But boy I wish he would do it quietly. One loudmouth troll is more than enough. Not everyone loves the Trump style, even people who generally approve of what he's doing.
Every century is blessed by people of genius. True genius. People who change the way we look at the world. Elon Musk is this century's first. Let's hope there are more coming.
Until The Donald starts addressing entitlements he and Elon are just tinkering around the edges. He, The Donald, is hardly a savior as his avoidance of entitlements and disasters with tariffs show. He has limited Elon, perhaps properly, in his efforts to find change in the couch.
Having an understanding of the founders love of “Israel” even though it wasn’t reconstituted at the time of our founding. It is instructive that the Bible quotes Balaam taking about Israel “ Blessed is he that blesses thee and cursed is thee that curses thee”. We now are back to leaders who bless Israel and so we will be blessed.
Years ago, when Musk first started up SpaceX, I said to all my friends that he was the Delos D. Harriman of our time. Since I appreciate the reference may be obscure, D.D. Harriman was "The Man Who Sold The Moon" in the Heinlein short story of that title. He also figures in a beautiful but bittersweet Heinlein short story titled "Requiem." Both are well worth the read, though best to keep a box of Kleenex nearby, especially for "Requiem."
In "The Man Who Sold The Moon," Harriman is bitterly opposed in his attempt to build a spacecraft to travel to the Moon and back: by the U.S. government, by his competitors, by his board of directors, even by his own family. It's quite the eye-opener given that the story was written in 1949: even then, Heinlein saw more deeply into the future than most.
Spare me from Rev. Nehemiah Scudder -- or worse yet, a world in which Rev. Scudder might be the better alternative.
I doubt we'll see a religious version of Scudder in this country...but the quasi-religious fervor of the Left does make me very nervous in that regard.
Lucky for us the Left hasn't yet found anyone capable of filling Scudder's shoes...except maybe Mr. Obama.
Your point about Elon’s need for a survivorship plan, to institutionalize his vision, is well taken and worrisome. He is probably the most important person in the world right now, and we need at least three more decades of his genius. The future of humanity may depend on it.
I've been a faithful reader of Instapundit since its inception and have not ever corresponded with you. After reading this powerful and insightful essay, I am moved to tell you how much I appreciate you and the extraordinary contribution you have made to the restoration of sanity to our political discourse. Yours has been the first site I read every morning for years. Elon Musk may indeed be "the indispensable man," but in your own way so are you.
I'm not sure how long I've been reading Instapundit, but it has been a really long time. The site is at the top of my "favorites" bookmarks, and like you, it is the first site I visit every day (and revisit throughout the day). In my opinion, Instapundit and RealClearPolitics are the two most useful sources of information about current events on the internet.
hear, hear!
People like Elon Musk flourish and multiply where there is freedom. When freedom is restricted, we get fewer Elon Musks. Those without that type of ability often lust for power as a substitute. It feeds their narcissistic nihilism, and in order to maintain their power, they have to eliminate the Musks of the world. Extraordinary ability can succeed against massive corruption, or even opposition of the masses, but sometimes that only happens after their deaths, e.g. Galileo. If the size and power of the government can be reduced and freedom increased, then we'll have many more Elon Musks, and there will simply be too many with too much value to humanity to eliminate. That might be wishful thinking, but I'm an optimist.
Polymaths don't grow on trees, that's for sure. Living at the same time as Musk has to be a lot like having lived in the same time as DaVinci or Newton or Tesla. All scared the snot out of the vast majority of people who encountered them, because they were so disruptive to the established order. The ruling classes of the times wanted them dead. Contemporaries envied and tried to undermine them. The masses regarded them with alternating adulation and approbation, depending on which way the wind was blowing. But the changes they wrought on the direction of humanity could not be undone by something as simple as death. Those changes were permanent: what has been seen cannot be unseen, what has been learned is not unlearned. Others picked up after them and carried on, carried farther.
So it will be with Musk. It takes generational talent to first open doors no one even suspected were there, but as soon as that first crack appears, others will rush to cross the threshold. This is what those wishing for his death don't understand. It's too late. The "damage", if you consider it that, has been done. Even if Musk (and Trump, for that matter) are eliminated far too many have seen glimpses of what's on the other side of that door and nothing is going to stop them from going through it now.
God bless both Trump and Musk and their courage in confronting our country’s very big problems.
Here’s an idea I will throw out to help restore this country’s greatness well into the future: don’t put a Chicago/Cook County Democrat in the White House, especially one who campaigns as a ‘reform candidate.’ Please.
Our country’s current record in this regard is decidedly poor, with Chicago/Cook County Dems winning three presidential popular votes. We can do better.
Um, we are the ones we’ve been waiting for.
I admire Elon Musk and all he has achieved. I think he is doing an important job on behalf of the president. But boy I wish he would do it quietly. One loudmouth troll is more than enough. Not everyone loves the Trump style, even people who generally approve of what he's doing.
Every century is blessed by people of genius. True genius. People who change the way we look at the world. Elon Musk is this century's first. Let's hope there are more coming.
Until The Donald starts addressing entitlements he and Elon are just tinkering around the edges. He, The Donald, is hardly a savior as his avoidance of entitlements and disasters with tariffs show. He has limited Elon, perhaps properly, in his efforts to find change in the couch.
URL for Vincent Cate's song about how getting into space is important to the survival of humans:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZCh31v0vgU
Attachments area
Preview YouTube video Life's Grand Campaign v32
Having an understanding of the founders love of “Israel” even though it wasn’t reconstituted at the time of our founding. It is instructive that the Bible quotes Balaam taking about Israel “ Blessed is he that blesses thee and cursed is thee that curses thee”. We now are back to leaders who bless Israel and so we will be blessed.
Perfessor - A very insightful observation on Musk and his "side quest".
A slight correction - "God helps those who cannot help themselves".
Quite obviously, we, the US, had reached a point where we could not help ourselves.
Thank God for Elon Musk and, Donald J. Trump, and....God.
I am starting this Renewal Project by opening the Bible... specifically Psalms, Ephesians and James.
Also, people should run for school board!