My wonderful week of wokery

 I don’t know about you, but last week, starting with the day after Easter, was a great week for eye-opening, mind-blowing discovery and re-examination for me. What made it such a special time was that all of it unexpectedly came in different forms, and ended with the pinpoint successful conclusion of the Artemus II moon mission and safe return of our four courageous astronauts.

 Yes, last week was a great week for wokery, which, for the purposes of this commentary, I’ll simply define as awareness, leaving the racial component folks usually like to harp about out of it. There is no crime in being woke, for it shows that you’re willing to learn and grow, and be open to new ideas, new experiences, and new perspectives.

 Folks who are anti-diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) so want woke to mean something negative, but keep in mind, these folks don’t want you to know anything about our nation’s tattered history, feeling that the more you know, the least likely you are to buy into their corrupted version of the truth.

That’s a shame! People would prefer you not know anything about how we all got here, thinking that knowledge somehow makes us weaker. So they work overtime to change our history books, our laws, school curriculums, libraries, museum exhibits, government websites, etc. to ensure that we remain in the dark, that we remain asleep about the things we, as a society, have every right to know.

 Well last week, I was among the millions following the extraordinary mission of the Artemus II space lunar fly-by and the four intrepid astronauts who represented all of us, regardless of race, gender, whatever, in man’s continuing quest to reach for the stars. Think of it - one of the most incredible sights we’ll ever see as inhabitants of this planet is every human being, with outstretched hands, attempting to, as singer Al Jarreau once sang, “touch the face of GOD.”

 How did his song “Mornin’” go again?

 My heart will soar                                                                                                                                                                                                                      With love that's rare and real                                                                                                                                                                                                       My smiling face will feel every cloud                                                                                                                                                                                     Then higher still beyond the blue until                                                                                                                                                                                    I know I can like any man reach out my hand                                                                                                                                                                        And touch the face of God

 You see, there is something truly humbling about seeing pictures/video of the Earth…the whole Earth, from the moon, knowing that those pictures are real. Knowing that for better or for worse, there we are …all of us…on this spinning global mass of rock, graced with oceans and atmosphere and life, kept firmly in place by gravity so we all don’t fly off into the darkness of space. We have no choice but to call this place home.

 For me, the sights we saw from the Artemus II mission should reinforce the fact that we didn’t create this place we call Earth. Indeed, despite our many, many years of building and creating great edifaces and tributes to our own egos and accomplishments, none of us have ever come close to the handiwork of GOD.

 None of us have ever come close to creating the great and continuing system of life we all exist by today. A blazing ball of fire in our extraterrestrial neighborhood that gives us sufficient heat and light to survive. A moon that stabilizes seasonal and climate patterns, providing us with vital gravitational pull that influences our marine ecosystem and biology. And stars, which help guide us at night, and provide vital elements like carbon, oxygen and nitrogen when they die, as well help maintain the gravitational orbits of planets.

 Betcha never expected that I would be dropping some science on you this week, did you? But it’s true. Who else but GOD could design such a magnificent work of art mixing sight and sound and the elements, capped off with what can only be described as the great diversity of life? In my mind, the Artemus II mission last week reminded us…ALL of us…as to who really is in charge, who really does have the power, and that none of us are here by accident.