The Turning Point

We are all seated comfortably. Curiosity is killing us all, but at the same time, keeping us alive. Excitement has filled the air but there is plenty of room for anxiety. There is a momentary fluctuation in the lighting line and suddenly a wave of a discomfort colors our faces pale. A young boy sitting across me is only interested in what his smart watch has to offer. His mother, who is also busy using her virtual device, suddenly throws her arm around the child and fastens the seat belt. The sensors measure the child's seated weight and height and enable the child lock function. The mother then looks at me and an awkward smile escapes through my lips. She, however, smiles back sincerely at the old man.

I begin to bend down for I have dropped my afternoon medicines from my bag. The Nano particles which were supposed to get into my bloodstream, start staining the floor. A sore back and a hip surgery prevent me from reaching the all the way down and I am convinced that I cannot try any more. The mother, who perceives the ugly situation quite well, comes to my rescue. ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ Moments later, I begin, "They won't let us die. The doctors and the healthcare system”. ⠀⠀⠀ "It is perhaps, because we need you", comes the reply. ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ The steady hum in the background picks up shrill and therefore I surrender to convey my approval through a thumbs-up.

We feel the thrust being exerted on the pod as it begins to move. In the next few minutes, hurrahs and hoots start piercing my ear as we progress out of the atmosphere. I am reminded about my time in school when my professor lectured us about escape velocity and now to actually escape gravity and go far beyond our mother planet, for the sake of pleasure – it gives me jitters.

I open my eyes to the boy who sat in front of me with a sudden jerk of my head. A voice beside me makes me realize about a presence. I turn immediately to my right and it is the mother, trying to convey something to me with a stethoscope around her neck.⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ “We won’t let you die!”, she exclaims in a humble voice. ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ But I see a sense of pride gleaming in her eyes as she throws sophisticated medical terms at me. I then learn how I lost consciousness due to low blood pressure and her medical expertise helped me revive. After slowly becoming aware of my surroundings and the most recent happenings, I see the kid is pointing to a direction and yelling, “Mom, that’s where we started, isn’t it? That is Earth.” I lean forward with great difficulty to look beyond the transparent thermal screen and see a small object, the size of a pencil point. A tiny little point that I know is spinning. A turning point, perhaps.

I gradually begin to wonder, if there was an actual turning point in the events that occurred, which propelled humanity to achieve this marvelous feat. But I am quick to realize that there was not one such point – that proved to be influential – but a collection of ideas and efforts by societies and individuals. How the whole of humanity – in spite of being divided into ethnic, religious and other groups – is working towards building a better future, acquiring boundless knowledge and reshaping imaginations, leaves me in awe.

But the void around the pod makes me realize the depths of the unknown. It tells me, how little we truly know and how much more we have to learn. It comes like a big, red, signal light to my philosophical train of thoughts. A phrase that I have kept very close to me, echoes in my mind – ‘What we know is a drop. What we do not know, is an ocean’. I let that moment pass.

Perhaps, that was my turning point and I convey it to my 23 year old alter ego.