The Beauty of the Moon
You could say the United States won the race to the moon. During the 1960s and 70s, NASA sent seven manned ships up there. In total, twelve Americans disembarked and prowled the lunar surface.
By all accounts, the experience was incredible. Centuries of dust plumed up, obscuring their vision as they landed and coating their suits and equipment. As they gazed about them during the bright moon day, the unremitting gray appeared almost white. Mountains swept high against the curved horizon, volcanic lava glistened, and unusual shapes mystified them. Glassy beads and gems sparkled at their feet. A deep soundlessness filled the air.
And in the starless sky, within a blackness more impenetrable than any seen from Earth, our planet hung, blue and glorious. David Scott, the seventh man to walk on the moon, said, “Only an artist or poet could convey the true beauty of space.” [1]
Can one walk on an alien world and not be changed? Surely the majestic cliffs and canyons, the perfect darkness, the shimmer of sun on crystalline sand and stone, and especially that view of our own Earth, a blue ball made all the more sacred for its seeming isolation, must remind us that our politics, policies, and even our wars are petty when compared to the enormity of existence. We are a part of a vast network of form and mystery. To know this is a kind of win. To convince others of it, which happens from time to time, is an even greater one.
The Apollo 13 Mission
These kinds of wins never last, however, at least not on the planet where we humans currently live and breathe and wreak havoc. In the various articles I read about what it was like to stand on the moon, I found discussions of scientific evidence, of methods used and difficulties faced, of human ingenuity and human frailty. Only a few spoke of the beauty, the awe, and our place in the universe. [2]
That’s no surprise, really. We are focused on surviving. Our final loss—death—fills our animal bodies with fear, so we fight against a darkness that might be more total than that of space. On the other hand, death’s realm might be more glittering than a sun’s eternal glow.
That possibility doesn’t keep us from fighting against this final cessation. And when we temporarily succeed in surviving, for all escape from death is temporary, we call it a win.
That was how we have come to view the Apollo 13 flight. Apollo 13 was the seventh of the manned trips to the moon, but the crew never made it there. In his book, Failure Is Not an Option, Gene Kranz describes their near-catastrophic loss. The story of how he, his team, and the astronauts themselves, worked together to guide a broken ship to a successful landing in the ocean is a riveting story. We love to read about battles in which we come out victorious, whether the battle is against other humans, nature, or, as in this case, mechanical failure. Winning boosts our body’s feel-good chemicals, so we feel good.
The Drive to Be First
We also feel proud and heroic and self-satisfied. Knowing we are the best matters to us, at least in some settings. Certainly, that is what drove us to propel Neil Armstrong into space in the first place. Indeed, we would never have gotten there if not for competition, for our very American push to be the first and the best.
In 1959, the Soviet’s Luna 2 rocket crashed on the moon’s surface. The landing might not have been graceful, but they were there. To make things worse, they were first to send a man, then a woman, into space. That worried us enough that we got serious, and, in the end, it was American astronauts who made that first foray onto lunar soil. [3]
Competition is not all bad. It encourages excellence. Without it, we might not have brilliant athletes, artists, performers, inventors, or scientists. As long as we have been human, and certainly before, we have competed for food, shelter, and mates. Our compulsion to survive keeps us going in the face of disaster and peril. Sometimes winning is a good thing.
When Competition Ceased
Yet, had we not been first in this race to the moon, what would we have lost? Pride? Standing in the world community? Perhaps. But is that really so terrible?
On the other hand, at the same time that we battled the Soviet Union with our space programs, we were fighting the more insidious battle of the Cold War. What if the USSR had come out triumphant in space? Would it have changed history in other ways?
Certainly, it would, for events have consequences, but after the fact, we can only guess what they might be. What we do know is that for a moment, when Armstrong descended from his ship and sank into the moon dust, even the Soviets cheered. As one of their astronauts, Alexei Leonov said, “Everyone forgot that we were all citizens of different countries on Earth. That moment really united the human race.” [4] For an instant, we stopped competing.
It’s a lovely idea, that some things we humans do might bring us together. As the last astronaut turned to enter the ship that would bring him home again, he said, “We leave as we came and, God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind.” [5] His statement echoed the words of the plaque left behind after the first Apollo mission: “Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon July 1969, AD. We came in peace for all mankind.” [6]
Collaboration
For today, let us ignore the male- and human-centric language used and focus on the meaning of the words. They speak to that part of ourselves that loves possibility, faith, and freedom, but they belie the spirit of competition that drove us to the moon in the first place. Though not the sole reason we don’t currently send humans to other worlds, because events like the death of those aboard the Challenger were part of it, as the Cold War cooled and going to the moon became commonplace, our sense of competition waned, so we lost our enthusiasm for returning to space. Governments no longer have resources to spend on such frivolity. We rarely play games with one another beyond war and assassination, whether we murder bodies, infrastructure, or reputations.
Competition, though, is not necessary to build a life or even run a country. Democracy, theocracy, autocracy, and other ways we divide or solidify power, [7] are not the only successful models of government. Small communities and tribes often create laws and cope with the breaking of them through collaborative means such as consensus and restorative justice. Ideally, this means there are no winners or losers. At its best, such a model leads to superior policies because the goal is not to please a constituency or push through a pet project, but to find the best solution for all stakeholders, and it can reduce crime because it encourages transformation rather than punishment. Recently, collaboration has been used in state or national governments as well as local ones. [8]
How We Frame the Story
Collaboration does not always succeed, however. Trust may be broken, the parties may be unwilling to cede control, or a common goal toward which to strive might not be found. Sometimes differences are irreconcilable. Marriages, political parties, and nations may fall apart. Whether we call that a win or a loss depends on our perspective.
Take the American Civil War, for instance. Being a northerner, I assumed everyone knew that the South lost and the North prevailed. Of course, the fact that the South thwarted the abolitionists on emancipation and created laws to dismantle the freedom of African Americans did complicate sour win, yet if we spin the story in a certain way, we can even conclude the South came out triumphant.
Edward Rothstein, who visited memorials and museums dedicated to the war throughout the South, discovered that down there, people speak of the nobility of the cause and the sanctity of its veterans. The South Carolina monument, for example, is dedicated to the Southern “men of honor” who fought for “freedom” and were “dedicated” to their “abiding faith in the sacredness of States’ Rights.” By standing up for their beliefs, the monument asserts, they “earned eternal glory.” [9]
There’s no greater win than to be embraced by God.
Turning a Loss into a Win
Spectacular failures can also be reinterpreted as wins. Jim Lovell was on the Apollo 13 flight that had to return to Earth because of equipment breakdown. Initially, he said, he thought of the aborted mission as a failure because the astronauts never landed on the moon. Later, he concluded, “it turned out to be the best thing that could have happened.” At the time, he explained, the American public had grown weary of these moonwalks. It had happened so many times. The television stations had no interest in covering yet another of these jaunts.
“But when the explosion occurred,” he said, “it brought out the true value of leadership, teamwork and initiative at Mission Control.” A near catastrophe became a success. [10]
It’s like finding the “silver lining” in a storm.
How often do we remember our personal histories in such a way? We might find the blessing in a lost job or house fire. Perhaps we find something noble in the pain of the warrior and the tortured psyche of the alcoholic. If a loved one died for a cause, whether it be foolish or grand, we may remember that at least she fought with passion.
If we lost a job, harmed a patient, or betrayed a partner, we can interpret our failure in many ways. On the one hand, we might make excuses, and if we convince no one, at least we won’t have admitted fault. Alternately, we might judge ourselves more harshly than we deserve, which could be part of a pattern of self-loathing or could serve to curtail censure. Finally, we could honor the pain and suffering of everyone involved, including ourselves, and find a solution that serves us all. There are many ways to turn a loss into a win.
Truths Beyond Our Truths
Yet it is not easy to see ourselves clearly or remember our past honestly, at least not when emotions are involved. And how often are they not?
The decent among us may like to recall the times we offered assistance, gave generously, won an award, or aced a test, while those of us who tend toward greed and self-serving machinations might talk about our strength, courage, and superior cunning. If we are cruel, we mock the tender-hearted, boasting of our own prowess. It doesn’t matter who we are or what we value, we want to see ourselves in a good light, according to our own lights.
If we can do this, we might think we have won regardless of the outcome.
And perhaps we have. But what have we won? What is our goal? Do we seek money, status, power, self-confidence? Is such a reward so important to us, that we will claim it even if it doesn’t legitimately belong to us? If we can convince others to take our side, no matter how nefarious, disgusting, or false it is, does that make it worthy? Does corroboration make us right? Are there no values, no truths, beyond the ones we invent? Did we learn nothing when we looked down on Earth from the moon?
Vanquishing Death
Perhaps it doesn’t matter one way or another. Whatever we do, the moon will remain; our planet will recover from all human degradation. Eventually, the sun will consume the solar system. If, as a species, we hope to continue indefinitely, we will have to seek younger and younger stars to settle nearby. As individuals, though, indefinite continuation is impossible, assuming that is an end.
Generally, even if we believe in a life after death, we tend to see it as a loss. Doctors fail if their patients die, and so do our prayers. We expect adventurers to make it back home, for soldiers to survive. Yet, one day, we will all lose the battle for life. Still, death comes to us all, so might it not be okay?
Apparently, we don’t think so. Why else would so many religions tell of lands beyond this life, of consciousness beyond the veil? According to the Christian faith, for instance, God is victorious over Death. It might have taken the death of a god-man to do it, but through Jesus, God forgave the sins of humankind and promised us a place in Heaven. Such a God can prevail over nature, and not even Satan is stronger than He. How comforting that can be.
So one way to feel victorious is to side with the right god, the one who will ultimately conquer Death itself. In this case, to win, we must choose correctly.
Winning and the Primate Brain
But we won’t know what’s the right choice until after we die. What we do know now, however, is what these wins and losses tell us about ourselves. Looking at what we will fight for tells us what we value. What will we sacrifice in order to win? In the Christian story, God sacrificed his very son.
Perhaps it’s a metaphor for what we do. Though we don’t kill anyone directly, when we are driven enough—when we strive to perform magnificent feats, to win awards and transform disciplines, to mesmerize audiences and start revolutions—we will sacrifice our families and friends, our health and well-being, to our cause. To be a star requires a dedication and focus few of us can sustain.
When we can do so, though, it’s probably because, when we win, it feels so good. Our brains produce dopamine as we face a test or challenge. In that way, the chemical encourages us to face risks. Then we feel a surge of serotonin, which gives us confidence. When we succeed, dopamine floods our senses, making us feel wonderful. [11] We can become addicted to that feeling, seeking more and more wins until all we care about is the fight, the chase, the chance. Some of us decide that it doesn’t matter if we are honest or spiteful or cooperative or cruel as long as we win. [12]
Love and Learning to Lose
Fortunately, our brains also produce oxytocin, which encourages us to cooperate. This chemical also makes us feel good, but only when we share, collaborate, and love. It makes us generous, kind, and humble. Because we are not only warriors, we can learn to lose gracefully and even take pride in doing so. [13] It’s like learning how to fall. If we can accept the possibility of defeat, we need not resort to cheating, lying, and trampling those we deem weaker than ourselves. No one can win every time.
How we face that reality says a lot about who we are and what we value. If we value gold and power over everything else, then one day, we will sacrifice our own souls for the prize.
If, on the other hand, we value love, then we live for relationship, for community, for faith, for compassion. That doesn’t mean we don’t want to get that job we apply for or win the race, but we know that if we lose, there will be other opportunities. Failing does not make us a failure, nor does it unmake us. That’s because, with love, we know we are not alone. With love, we can survive setbacks. Perhaps that is really what it means to win.
In faith and fondness,
Barbara
Credits
- “Moon Walking: Ex-NASA Astronauts Describe Lunar Experience,” BBC News, May 27, 2018, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44270528, accessed September 2, 2022.
- “About Our Moon,” LPI Education, https://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/skytellers/moon-phases/#:~:text=Just%20like%20Earth%2C%20our%20Moon,time%20of%20revolution%20around%20Earth., accessed September 2, 2022; Mancini, Mark, “What Are Days and Nights Like on the Moon?,” HowStuffWorks, https://science.howstuffworks.com/what-do-day-and-night-look-like-on-moon.htm, accessed September 2, 2022; Encyclopedia Britannica editors, “Timeline of the Apollo Space Missions,” “More Footsteps on the Moon,” Science News, Nov. 22, 1969, Vol. 96, No. 21, pp 470-472), https://www.jstor.org/stable/3954309, accessed September 2, 2022; Dempsey, Caitlin, “Overview Effect: Quotes from Astronauts,” Geography Realm, December 20, 2021, https://www.geographyrealm.com/overview-effect-quotes-from-astronauts/, accessed September 2, 2022; “24 Gene Cernan Quotes (Last Man on the Moon),” Gracious Quotes, August 13, 2022, https://graciousquotes.com/gene-cernan/, September 2, 2022.
- Cavendish, Richard, “The Soviet Union Is First to the Moon,” History Today, Vol. 59, Issue 9, September 2009, https://www.historytoday.com/archive/soviet-union-first-moon#:~:text=Richard%20Cavendish%20explains%20how%2C%20on,to%20successfully%20reach%20the%20Moon., accessed September 2, 2022 and History.com editors, “The Space Race,” History.com, February 21, 2020, https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/space-race, accessed September 2, 2022.
- Cavendish.
- “24 Gene Cernan Quotes (Last Man on the Moon),” Gracious Quotes, August 13, 2022, https://graciousquotes.com/gene-cernan/, September 3, 2022.
- “Lunar Plaque,” Wikimedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_plaque, accessed September 23, 2022 and Associated Press, “’One Small Step’ and Other Notable Quotes on Moon Landing,” Detroit News, July 18, 2019, https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/nation/2019/07/18/moon-landing-anniversary-remembering-famous-quotes/39687695/, accessed September 2, 2022.
- The “cracy” in these terms comes from the Greek word, kratos, which means power.
- See Wiki, “Collaborative Governance,” https://participedia.net/method/150#:~:text=Collaborative%20governance%20is%20most%20broadly,or%20individual%20citizens%20%5B1%5D., accessed August 29, 2022.
- Quoted from The South Carolina monument by Rothstein, Edward, “Not Forgotten,” The New York Times, March 16, 2011, https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/17/arts/design/in-the-south-civil-war-has-not-been-forgotten.html, accessed August 29, 2022.
- Clash, Jim, “Jim Lovell Interview: Beyond the Edge: Astronaut Jim Lovell on Apollo 13 and Dealing with Disaster,” Askmen: Become a Better Man,” https://www.askmen.com/entertainment/right-stuff/jim-lovell-interview.html, accessed September 3, 2022.
- Breuning, Loretta G., “The Primate Brain Likes to Win, But Can’t Always Have It,” Psychology Today, February 26, 2014, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/your-neurochemical-self/201402/the-primate-brain-likes-win-cant-always-have-it, accessed September 3, 2022.
- Lukens, Mark, “How to Tap Into the Neuroscience of Winning,” October 29, 2015, https://www.fastcompany.com/3052754/how-to-tap-into-the-neuroscience-of-winning#:~:text=The%20Dopamine%20Rush&text=When%20we%20succeed%20at%20something,in%20addiction%20and%20drug%20use., accessed September 3, 2022.
- Breuning.
Copyright © 2022 Barbara E. Stevens. All Rights Reserved.