I couldn’t sleep. Looking at the moon, outside of my window, I could barely imagine what threatened to stand in Edgar Mitchell’s way. I felt tired and depressed, and the bed now felt like I was sinking into it instead. I used to lay on it staring at the ceiling to stare at all the stars and distant planets I’d pinned up there. Then, I’d fall asleep and rearrange them all in my dreams. I used to feel like I could fly up there, but now my body feels heavy. My dad and I have worked on so many science experiments, studying cause and effect and understanding science together.
Sometimes, it’s been more politics than science. Except, that as my dad has explained to me, the only science that is any longer allowed to be about cause and effect is political science. Various conservative governments with a more lenient attitude toward how people make money have been in power until very recently. The effect of that is that they’ve found a common cause in derailing all forms of protections that were in place before to prevent people from pursuing economic prosperity with total disregard to how it affects the planet.
Of course, we have to be sustainable. It’s a no-brainer. It’s not just my dad who’s helped me understand that. It’s from looking at the data, the state of the world, and what we’re actually capable of. At least now we have President Stevens. And whenever my dad reminds me about the time when the rainforests were being set on fire, it seems like my dad’s right. There were plenty of good reasons why people fought for the cause. But sadly, there are various interpretations of ‘cause.’ There’s fighting for a cause, which people often do depending on what they care most about. Or there’s what my teacher calls zero sum gains. Winner takes all. That type of cause leaves only one horrifying effect and destroys the planet.
And that’s what we’re dealing with when I’m just about to graduate from high school? What’s that supposed to leave me in the future? Maybe Edgar Mitchell had the right idea about where he wanted to spend his time instead of dealing with politics back on Earth.
Here political leaders can bury the truth that previous political parties were more transparent about for the sake of public health and safety. One informed the people causing the next party in power to stick to a lack of transparency.
While my dad has been busy working on some big science projects with Boeing and other big companies, my brother, my sister and I have been preparing for whatever comes next. What are we going to be when we grow up? In the meantime, the guardians of the Amazon had pledged that within Brazil greenhouse gas emissions would be cut by 37%, but the effort to fight deforestation and the boost for renewable sources never came. Politics is the one science humans are willing to be passionate about and not apply for our own overall benefit. It has sickened as many people as viruses, diseases and plagues that science endeavors to resolve through scientific breakthroughs like the cure for cancer, the cure for the bubonic plague and vaccinations. Yet, there is no cure, and there are no known breakthroughs in sight.
Except of course the newest efforts after the 2024 political elections. But then again, two years in and I’m still wondering how they can call it political ‘science’ if there are no labs on Earth trying to destroy the cycles of cause and effect in power politics. A lab could develop a cure to prevent everyone from just staying on opposite sides—accepting or denying knowledge. It could help us get to the truth and to some powerful common will to build a better world and meet political problems with cures. That’s when we’ve ever felt the most hope: when someone makes a new discovery, sets off for a new horizon in the spirit of exploration and rises to the challenges of the times.
I was in my teens watching people act against this very spirit and choosing not to rise to any challenge. I found it unimaginable or unthinkable that we as humans would choose to suffer under the strong belief that it was to be left in the Creator’s hands. It seemed like learned helplessness to me.
I finally fell fast asleep. When I heard my mother’s voice, I felt like I’d only gotten two hours of rest. I must have fallen back to sleep somehow despite waking up several times throughout the night on account of all my worries.
“Come on, Sam. Wake up, son. We don’t want to be late for graduation.”
I slowly managed to get out of bed only to be bombarded again with mom’s voice.
“And, Happy Birthday! We’ll celebrate after graduation! Wherever you want to go.”
How many kids celebrated both their eighteenth birthday and graduation day on the same day?
After getting dressed, I went to the kitchen for breakfast.
“Congratulations, Sam. Are you ready for the big day?”
Dad was reading over some reports. He has been working nearly eleven years non-stop on some secret project. It was something he never discussed with the family. My mom had been a nurse, but since Dad was always busy and away from home a good deal of the time, she had decided to be a stay-at-home wife.
“I think so, Dad.”
My mom appeared with a camera.
“Let’s take a family picture. I’ll set it on ten seconds. Make a nice pose.”
My family got into their positions for a traditional graduation family photo. Many of our digital photos were hanging on the walls. My younger brother, Robert, was only fifteen and would have his day soon. My sister, Sophie, was already twenty.
After the photo, we began to walk over to the auditorium where the ceremony was to be held. I looked forward to seeing all of my classmates and friends there. I put on my ceremonial garb and took a look around the room. My family took their seats in the audience.
I walked over to Mr. Duke, the assistant principal, who was overseeing the line-up. Mr. Duke collected my card with my name and put me between Sally and Jose. Sally, who had been my prom date, was looking very pretty today—her long blonde hair in perfect order. Jose, my best buddy and fierce competitor in just about anything, looked so grown up it freaked me out. I always knew he was very well built but he seemed to be more buff to me today. We had even competed over Sally, but in the end, Sally had chosen me. I also saw many other classmates. One of them was Susan Simpson. I noticed that her dad, Jack, was sitting all by himself. I wondered why he never seemed to socialize with the other parents and students.
As we lined up, I greeted Sally and Jose, “It’s a great day, isn’t it? We are finally finished with high school.”
Sally looked at me and smiled. “Yes, and on to bigger and better things! And by the way, Happy Birthday.”
She kissed me on the cheek. Sally’s parents were Tyler and Jessica McDaniel. Tyler was an engine specialist, while his mom was also a nurse.
Jose gave me a high five. “I guess we won’t be able to wrestle with each other anymore, which means I can’t kick your ass. Congratulations, Sam.”
Jose’s dad, Michael Williams, was also working with my dad. Michael had gone to the University of Texas, where he had received a scholarship to play football. After several years in the NFL, his knee blew out, ending that career. He then went to graduate school at Purdue University, which is known for developing astronauts and earned his Ph.D. Jose looked like his dad. His mom, Irma, who was a librarian, was also there.
The ceremony began. The graduating class of sixty students filed in slowly single file to their seats as the parents and others rose and clapped, waiting for the principal, Mrs. Smith. Mrs. Smith was around fifty years old and about 5’5 inches tall. She wore a nice, professional blue suit with high heels. Her slightly gray hair was tied up. She was a strict disciplinarian but a great teacher and principal. I had taken chemistry with her, and she had taught me things that I could not even imagine existed. She was well respected by everyone in the school.