THINK:
Lessons from the Moon landing
Fifty years ago this week, humans walked upon the moon for the first time.
At the time, the Rebbe counted several lessons from the moon landing that could be applied to daily life:
1) The Mission: Every action an astronaut takes is critical. Flicking even the smallest switch at the wrong time can have catastrophic effects, jeopardizing the entire mission. Pay attention to the details and don’t overlook something by considering it insignificant.
2) The Minutiae: The spacecraft was sterilized before the trip, lest the possibility that the extreme conditions of space might cause unforeseen changes to the ambient microbes on the ship. In life one may ask “Why must I grow each day? Why wasn’t yesterday good enough?” Changing circumstances mean we must grow to encounter new, even unforeseen, horizons.
3) Momentum: Multi-stage rockets allowed the Saturn V rockets to launch the Apollo 11 into orbit, shedding extra weight as the fuel burned off. In life we encounter internal opposition from the evil inclination, that resistance is what propels us to greater heights - and once that goal has been achieved, we can shed that weight, and grow ever higher.
4) The Team: While only two astronauts walked on the Moon, the work of hundreds of thousands of men and women played a critical role in making it happen. We each have an essential role to play in this world and we all share a collective responsibility to get it done.
5) Uplifted Spirits: The moon landing was a testament to how the smallest of people can surpass the limitations of their physical forms and reach the stars.
6) Lift Up Your Eyes and See: Leaving the confines of the Earth gives a new understanding of our place in this universe. As Buzz Aldrin quoted the Psalms of David, “When I see Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and stars that You have established, what is man that You should remember him, and the son of man that You should be mindful of him?” Sometimes when you go out of your surroundings, it can create a humbling new look and perspective on life
7) Star Sojourners: The trip to the moon was some 238,855 miles and cost billions of dollars - think of the greater spiritual distance the soul travels to this world and the investment we must make in ourselves and others.
DO
On Friday, August 2nd, we’ll be discussing lab-grown cheeseburgers and genetically modified bacon. Is it kosher?
Find out at #FirstFridaySociety: Bring Home The Kosher Bacon
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