Today, I’m full of questions about the Space Race, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk— two very rich guys. Yesterday, Jeff Bezos did indeed fly high in the sky in his phallic-looking rocket, Blue Origin. To get better up-to-speed (pardon the pun), I read an op-ed by Don Lincoln, a senior scientist at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. I gained some insight into this controversy. Here is Dr. Lincoln’s conclusion about the space race.
The real bottom line is that the commercialization of space will reduce launch costs and that has benefits for anyone needing to lift an object above the Earth’s atmosphere. My interest is in launching satellites carrying telescopes that can survey the cosmos and those that can monitor the wellbeing of our planet. I’m not as interested in the Disney rides on steroids — perhaps because I will never be able to afford such a trip— but if those launches generate income for the companies to devise better and more economical rockets, I’m all for it.
It’s obvious that commercial space flight has advantages for a vast range of customers and the three existing companies will compete to generate revenue. That helps all of us, perhaps by one company being more efficient than the others. And it’s always possible that another company may take up the torch and win the commercial space race.
Let the competition begin. (Emphasis mine)
Wally Funk. E. Culliford, Reuters, 2019.
Another upside for me is that aviator, Wally Funk finally realized her dream to go to space. Funk was part of the Mercury 13 era Women in Space Program. Funk was set to go to space in 1961, but the decision was reversed because Wally was a woman. She became licensed as a pilot at age 17. In her senior year of college, when she earned a trophy recognizing her as the most outstanding pilot, the airport manager who gave it to her said, “Mark my words, if ever a woman flies into space, it will be Wally, or one of her students. Now at age 82, Wally can say that she is an astronaut, and I’m really happy for her!
Lincoln’s assessment exposes that humanity enjoys true benefits even if this work seems to aspire to “Disney rides on steroids,” at $250,000 a pop. Obvious merit goes to getting more massive telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope, the Hubble heir apparent, into space for further exploration. The NASA technology pales in comparison to the sheer ability of, say Musk’s SpaceX, to lift such colossal instruments into orbit. Using the world’s most powerful telescopes allows scientists to monitor the health of Mother Earth, which presently gasps for life under human dominion.
However lofty these goals, Lincoln does not address the pressing needs of the people of the earth, many of whom struggle just to survive day-to-day. Dr. Lincoln is a scientific expert, so economics may not be his forte or interest, I get that. His interest focuses on the increase of knowledge and the advancement of science.
Is this just obscenely rich men with expensive toys saying, “Mine’s bigger?”
I’ve been reflecting on this and get why people are so upset. I’ll be honest and say that the Gospel story that popped in my head without a prompt was the Rich Man and Lazarus. I believe this to be one of Jesus’ most powerful and damning parables and is spot on here. And it goes like this.
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19 “Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, enjoying himself in splendor every day. 20 And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, 21 and longing to be fed from the scraps which fell from the rich man’s table; not only that, the dogs also were coming and licking his sores. 22 Now it happened that the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s arms; and the rich man also died and was buried.
23 And in Hades he raised his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his arms. 24 And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus, so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’
25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set, so that those who want to go over from here to you will not be able, nor will any people cross over from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I request of you, father, that you send him to my father’s house — 28 for I have five brothers — in order that he may warn them, so that they will not come to this place of torment as well.’
29 But Abraham *said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ 31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’” (Luke 16:19-31, NASB)
Okay, so who wants to be the rich man in this story as he flails in the hot flames of hell?
Who wants to be Lazarus on earth? He experiences such anguish that even the dogs try to care for him the best they know how!
Are folks like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos the “rich man” in this parable?
Do they robotically step over human suffering in vainglorious attempts to become the new suns of our galaxy? Are their spaceships the “purple robes and fine linens,” the enjoyment of splendor every single day? What are we to make of this use of nearly immeasurable wealth in the face of starvation and exploitative wages?
According to the New York Times, “members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which has organized the logistics industry since the early 20th century, voted to target Amazon’s operations. And a growing segment of the general population now recognizes the threat of “Amazon capitalism”: what scholars Jake Alimahomed-Wilson, Juliann Allison, and Ellen Reese describe as reflecting ‘the larger global trend of the increasing influence of finance capitalism, neoliberal politics and policies, and corporate power.’
Around the country, powerful unions are committing to challenge Amazon’s work environments. Amazon does start workers at about double the minimum wage of $7.25/hour. Well, okay, but minimum wage has not increased since 2009, up from $6.55, so that does not impress me much. In 2018, Arizonans working for Amazon reported that they needed food stamp assistance and other social services to make ends meet.
Bezos’ “thank you” to his workers–a great big gaff
According to The Hill, after returning from his short space ride yesterday morning, “Bezos thanked Amazon customers and employees at a post-launch briefing. I also want to thank every Amazon employee and every Amazon customer because you guys paid for all of this,” he said.
The fiery Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) retorted on Twitter, “Yes, Amazon workers did pay for this,” she said. “With lower wages, union-busting, a frenzied and inhumane workplace, and delivery drivers not having health insurance during a pandemic.” Bezos’s workplace woes will not subside because he took a ride on the wild side. It’s a matter of time before he must treat employees much better.
Let’s get away from binary thinking
Is the nature of life good or bad? American society apparently thinks so because it operates in a constant either/or paradigm:
male/female
white/black
rich/poor
straight/gay
I could go on, but you get that American society views the word on the left as superior to the one on the right. This either/or ideology gets us nowhere but to the land of sexism, racism, classism, and heterosexism, etc. Allowing binary mindsets to dictate our existence creates inequity, as we know. And, just as concerning, this either/or thinking prohibits us from finding workable, or often very good, solutions to our many issues. Achieving a “yes/and” or “win/win” result often creates synergy for both sides of a problem.
What if Bezos started doing the right thing?
Were Bezos to reverse his earthly exploits by allowing unions and humane working conditions, including proper bathroom breaks (can’t believe I even have to say that), hazard pay, more time off, etc., would his space exploits gain value? Yes, I’d say so, because of the benefits listed above by Dr. Lincoln. And, Bezos would come off as being (much) less of a selfish jerk.
If Bezos won’t have a change of heart on his own, then those of us who have the means and ability must do so on behalf of the Lazaruses out there who have no bargaining power. They deserve our help as we work shoulder to shoulder.
It won’t happen overnight, as we learned in Bessemer, Alabama, earlier this year. There, the Amazonians United suffered a demoralizing defeat in formalizing its union. But these issues will not just go away. Enough Americans now know about Bezos’s employment practices for a reckoning to occur. At least he stepped down as CEO. That’s a start.
The space race creates a place for reflection
At the heart of the space race lies the reality of vulgar inequity and systemic inequality. Our world is not fair. It is not just. Part of our duty as disciples of Jesus is to determine how we can fight that inequality most effectively to make a difference in our local, regional, and global worlds.
Download our free guide to learn 6 quick ways to use faith-based advocacy to level the playing field in your community. Let me know what actions you take in the comments below — I’d love to hear from you!
Blessings on your journey. +
