Beyond the Stars

This Orthodox rabbi's tribute for the Presbyterian John Glenn is unlike any eulogy you've read, seen or heard

If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants. --- Sir Isaac Newton

There are two kinds of visionaries.

The first type sees farther, like Sir Isaac Newton. They possess a special gift of brilliance, genius, or perception. They see what others cannot, recognize mysteries that hide in plain sight, uncover beauty and order where the rest of us see only chaos. For the most part, they are born, not made.

Then there are those who are blessed not so much with the ability to see, but with the ability to bestow vision, to illuminate the world not with new insights but by giving the gift of insight to others. It is not their acumen, but rather their irrepressible pursuit of transcendence that inspires us to do as much with our lives as they have done with theirs.

IN SEARCH OF NEW HORIZONS

Around the year 1500, Leonardo da Vinci began making sketches of flying machines. In 1804 Sir George Cayley built the world's first successful model glider. In 1900, the first Zeppelin made air travel a reality, and two years later at Kitty Hawk the Wright Brothers made history.

But manned flight gave us more than commercial travel and military agility. The visionaries who made the impossible possible set human aspiration free from the limits of two-dimensional existence. They showed us that we can slip the surly bonds of earth and reach out to touch the face of heaven. They also taught us that the sky is not > the limit.

In 1926, Robert Goddard tested the first successful liquid-fueled rocket. In 1957, the Soviet Union shocked the world by putting Sputnik into orbit. And in 1962, John Glenn became the first man to orbit the earth. The world would never be the same.

WHO NEEDS IT? WE DO

Some questioned then what a few question even today: What use is it to collect rocks from the moon and risk human life on pointless adventurism? Don’t we have enough problems to deal with here on earth without dreaming about the depths of space?

The quest for the stars has given us more than moon rocks. It has produced countless spin-off technologies that are staples of everyday life. Memory foam, cordless vacuums, water filters, treadmills, freeze-dried food, scratch-resistant lenses, Ct Scans, Cochlear implants, solar panels, LED lighting, defibrillator batteries, smoke detectors, artificial limbs, and Velcro are just some of the benefits of the space program.

But there is another, less tangible benefit: the knowledge that with determination, we can reach the unreachable.

True, technology inspires us. At least it did, until innovation became so commonplace that we no longer find wonder in the miracles of our age. But the pioneers who wrought those miracles… we should carry them with us in our hearts every moment of our lives.

A HERO FOR OUR TIMES

Thirty-six years after becoming the first man in orbit, John Glenn became the oldest man in space, not as an ego trip or publicity stunt but to observe the effects of weightlessness on his 77-year-old body. As with his first trip, he showed that the limits upon human beings are mostly self-imposed.

John Glenn was a hero in every sense of the word. Praised for his bravery, thoughtfulness, integrity, consideration, work ethic, optimism, and patriotism, he earned respect, admiration, and love from all who knew him over the span of his 95 years.

“It was courage, grace and humility John displayed throughout his life that lifted him above the stars," said NASA administrator Charles Bolden, Jr. "I can say unequivocally that we are standing on John Glenn's shoulders.”

He turned down millions in promotional offers, refusing to exploit his accomplishments for personal gain. He championed unglamorous causes like nuclear waste control because of his commitment to leave the world a better place. He taught his children to ask themselves every day what they had done for their country. He showed us not only what a person can do, but what a person should be.

King Solomon says, [Like honeycomb] is the wisdom of your soul; if you have found it, then the future is yours and your hope will never die.

To look into ourselves, to recognize what we can achieve, what we can become, and how we can change the world for the better -- that is the recipe to make life sweet and to sweeten the lives of others.

Rabbi Yonason Goldson is a professional speaker and trainer.  Drawing upon his experiences as a hitchhiker, circumnavigator, newspaper columnist, high school teacher, and talmudic scholar, he teaches practical strategies for enhancing communication, ethical conduct, and personal achievement. He is the author of Proverbial Beauty: Secrets for Success and Happiness from the Wisdom of the Ages is available on Amazon.