The Stars We’ll Never Reach
Here's a description of my life when my watch wakes me up at 5:30 AM during the work week.
I will make breakfast for my family, drive my kids to school, go to work, pick up the kids, go home, make dinner, help get kids ready for bed, put said kids to bed, enjoy some free time, and go to bed. In reality, it's more interesting than what it appears on the surface. But there are days when I feel my contributions to the world are minimal. I can't say that I'm really making a dent in the world's greatest problems.
And yet. I dream.
I dream of stars I'll never reach and futures none of us will see. I love Star Trek, a fictitious story that takes place two hundred years from now in a future where humanity has achieved world peace and eliminated poverty. In this utopian world, humans devote their time to discovery and traveling the galaxy at speeds faster than light. People don't die of cancer, and countries don't invade other countries. There are no marginalized members of the human race; everyone gets a fair shot. I know it's fictional, but I really love that future.
You needn't be a Trekker to find these ideals compelling. Deep down, everyone dreams of peace.
But it's an unreachable star for us that we won't get to in our lifetime.
Each morning, we all wake up in the present to the reality of life. Our reality includes war, poverty, inequality, and sickness. We all know someone battling cancer, and we all see the ongoing war in Ukraine. All of us experience the rising cost of food.
An interesting aside here is that I grew up in a faith community that, by and large, accepted these realities as unchanging truths. I don't think anyone from that culture would describe war, poverty, and inequality as acceptable, but many feel that combatting them is a waste of time, like putting out a forest fire with a water pistol. That said, a growing number of us believe war, poverty, and inequality can become things of the past. However, for all our efforts, the most we can hope for if we're living today is that we'll catch glimpses or sparks of hope.
There's a certain persistence required for hope. We might not see a peaceful present, but generations ahead of us will live in a better future.
I was thinking the other day about my family history. There has been someone with my last name in what we call Canada today since the mid-18th century. On my mom's side, pioneers came to this region over a hundred years ago and settled in Amber Valley. Winters were colder, work was harder, injuries were more deadly, food was scarce, and it probably didn't taste that great. If these people could see me now...
I'm not rich or famous, but I'm doing well and have time to consider the next challenge. I've reached a star they could only hope for. I benefit from the persistent hope of those who have gone before.
I love cooking with cast iron. Most of our meals are cooked using it, and we enjoy good food at home. These cast iron tools will outlast me if I maintain them properly. My kids may want to keep them when I'm gone and prepare meals with them for their families. If the pans are still loved a hundred years from now, my grandchildren may want to inherit them. One of them may look at one of these pans and consider that the meals that sustained their family through generations made it possible for them to live. It would be great if they had the realization that their present-day was once my hopeful future.
This is one of my pans. It’s name is Stormbreaker
This idea makes it much easier to wake up with 5:30 in the morning realities. I hope it helps you too.
Friend, thank you for reading. Work hard, serve somebody, and live for today with the knowledge that you're planting the future.