-Caveat Lector- from: http://www.zolatimes.com/V3.9/pageone.html <A HREF="http://www.zolatimes.com/V3.9/pageone.html">Laissez Faire City Times - Volume 3 Issue 9</A> ----- The Laissez Faire City Times March 1, 1999 - Volume 3, Issue 9 Editor & Chief: Emile Zola ------------------------------------------------------------------------ To Boldly Go... Where? by Sunni Maravillosa The original Star Trek series, despite its flaws, got one thing right: humans love to explore. Since the first caveman wondered what was over the ridge and traversed it to find out, our species has been discovering and exploring new lands, and conquering the challenges they present. Be it withering desert, stormy seas, or bitter cold, humans have endured the worst that nature has hurled, and have not only survived, but thrived in such places. In addition to mastering the physical topography of the planet, adventurers have explored other realms as well. We’ve peered at life at microbial levels, witnessed the births and deaths of stars, and unlocked the fearsome power of the atom. Many of these accomplishments were undertaken with rudimentary equipment and no formal technique—the indomitable drive to know spurred men on. Today, with no knowledge of Galileo, Copernicus, Leeuwenhoek, or Koch, anyone with a modest sum to spend on equipment can explore the heavens, or the protozoans living in a nearby pond. Thanks to the technological contributions of unknown h undreds of men and women, we can inexpensively explore mountains and plains in agonizing cold or ferocious heat, in the comfort of our own vehicles. When Europeans began to settle America, it was a particular kind of person who made the arduous journey, embarking on an uncertain new path. At first, the settlers were outcasts from their own countries, who nevertheless had the determination to succeed. As the country took form and revealed its riches—and new possibilities awaiting to the west—others poured into the United States from all over the world. Some were outcasts unpopular in their homeland, but increasingly they were restless souls, unhappy with the numbing tradition of the entrenched way of life in their community. These adventurers recognized the potential this country offered and risked everything for the possibility of finding a better way of life, one that they were free to choose or create. What they shared, however, was a willingness to endure hardship for something in which they believed—what we would today call rugged individualism, or "the American spirit". Europeans continue to comment on the American spirit, sometimes in admiration but more often in bemusement. It’s difficult for one who lives on land that’s been owned by his family for hundreds of years, outside of a village that has existed even longer, to understand the American drive to explore, to create, to push every possible boundary. Although this spirit seems to be decreasing somewhat, it remains a striking contrast even today. I have an inchoate theory as to why these differences have come about. I believe that Americans have been "bred" to be more adventurous. I’m not suggesting that the differences are purely genetic, although that undoubtedly plays some role in this dynamic. In creating this country, and in its rapid population expansion due to immigration by siphoning off the restless, malcontented, and most ambitious individuals from Europe, the more daring removed themselves from their homelands and their cultures. In essence, whatever genetic makeup our immigrant ancestors may have shared, by coming here and passing it along to their offspring, a society of free-thinkers and doers was also created, which has been perpetuated over the generations. The result is a country which can boast of more achievements and more creators than any other in the last two centuries. While other countries do have notable scientists and innovators, many of them seem to find their way to the United States, in part because of the freedom—and encouragement—to dream, to explore, to create that they find here. The Stars, Our Destiny The most recent physical frontier explored is space. Russians and Germans wrote about rocketry and space travel and conducted tests, but it was an American, Robert Goddard, who launched the first modern rocket. While it was the Soviet Union that put the first man into space, the American spirit of rising to the challenge led to the first man on the moon—and so far, the only projects that have placed men on the moon—being American. In addition to that accomplishment, much of the technology that made that feat possible—technology which we use daily—was developed in the US as well. This situation is different from previous explorations in one crucial respect: in both the USSR and US, these endeavors were government-sponsored and financed. Rather than individuals and businesses driving developments, government bureaus and agencies have monopolized this sector of the market, making competition virtually impossible, except (mostly) by other governments willing to spend the vast sums required for space exploration. In the US, the private sector is forbidden by law from sending individuals into space. Since the heady days of "the space race", things have changed dramatically. The collapse of the Soviet Union has led to the Russian space program being held together by chewing gum and baling wire. The US government’s ardor has cooled as well, as budgetary considerations have redirected funds from NASA toward other projects. The space shuttle makes its token runs, to be sure, but genuine exploration by manned missions has halted. The ardor of individuals to explore the vast frontier of space hasn’t cooled, however. Weaned on stories of Goddard’s experiments, fed a steady diet of Heinleinian adventures [see also the on-going Laissez Faire City Times story, "Jack Parsons and the Curious Origins of the American Space Program"—Zola] and NASA news feeds while growing up, many people view the skies as the next frontier to explore, and are ready to take those bold steps forward themselves. They see the stars as our destiny, and they know with the certainty of Galileo even as he was trie d and imprisoned that it’s only a matter of time before this challenge is conquered. Understandably, many who feel frustrated at their inability to explore space hold our government and its laws responsible for the shameful lack of progress toward this destiny. Thus, "the final frontier" remains tantalizingly, agonizingly out of reach. Beyond "The Final Frontier" Rather than remain stuck by our lack of progress into space, many have chosen another realm to explore—innerspace. By "innerspace" I mean that adventurers and doers have turned inward, rather than outward, exploring ideas and their implications with an intensity that approaches that of a dedicated philosopher. Such introspection has led to the explosion of interest in libertarianism and issues related to freedom. Cyberspace has encouraged such explorations, as it has created virtual communities in which like-minded individuals can meet and share ideas. This exploration has had a number of consequences. We obdurate individualists have a sense of what we can accomplish by working together for freedom, and have begun various activities aimed at accomplishing our goals. The campaigns against the National ID and the FDIC’s "Know Your Customer" proposal are two examples. The combination of exploration and the discovery of like minds has also increased our discontent. Feeling security in the rightness of our position as well as in our growing numbers, some among us have been calling for an increase in resistance to the federal government’s attempts to corral and control us. The United States has become a pressure cooker. With no new physical frontiers within reach, in part due to governmental restrictions, the rugged individualism that created this nation and its wealth is being stifled. As more people—driven to innerspace by the lack of access to external realms to explore—realize the effect of those restrictions, actions in defiance of them will increase in number as well as intensity. What will be the outcome of this combination of forces? It’s too early to say, but some things are clear. It is in our nature, especially in this country, "to boldly go"—to explore and to create, and that cannot be restrained indefinitely. Just as organized religion was changed forever with the invention of the printing press, the world will be changed by the information-age driven realization that to live in chains is inimical to human nature. Whether the change will be peaceful or bloody cannot be seen at present. The change is upon us, however, and will pick up speed as more individuals realize that freedom is essential to human happiness and prosperity. Where else we will boldly go remains to be seen, but you can be sure that we will head out in the same spirit that led our forefathers to this land. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sunni Maravillosa is a psychology professor, a writer, and the web mistress for the Liberty Round Table. -30- from The Laissez Faire City Times, Vol 3, No 9, March 1, 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Published by Laissez Faire City Netcasting Group, Inc. Copyright 1998 - Trademark Registered with LFC Public Registrar All Rights Reserved Disclaimer The Laissez Faire City Times is a private newspaper. Although it is published by a corporation domiciled within the sovereign domain of Laissez Faire City, it is not an "official organ" of the city or its founding trust. 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