When you launch in a rocket, you're not really flying that

In the boundless heavens, where men dare to venture beyond the cradle of the Earth, there lies a truth that is both humbling and profound. When the rocket ascends, rising ever higher into the dark abyss of the unknown, it is not the pilot who commands the heavens. No, as Michael P. Anderson so wisely spoke, "When you launch in a rocket, you're not really flying that rocket. You're just sort of hanging on." These words, spoken by a man who knew the vastness of space intimately, reveal the eternal truth that even in the most daring of human endeavors, we are often not the masters of the forces that propel us forward. Instead, we are but passengers on a journey that is governed by the mighty hands of fate, physics, and nature itself.

From the dawn of time, humans have sought to conquer the skies. The great Icarus of Greek mythology soared toward the sun with wings of wax and feathers, believing that he could master the very forces of nature. But as all know, his pride led him to fall. Icarus's fate was a powerful reminder that no matter how high we fly, we are always bound by the forces beyond our control. Michael P. Anderson, in his experience among the stars, had a deeper understanding of this truth. For when a rocket lifts off, human will is at the mercy of laws far greater than any individual. The rocket itself, a magnificent feat of engineering, follows the strict laws of gravity, thrust, and aerodynamics. The pilot’s role is not to dictate the journey, but to hold on, to trust in the machine, the crew, and the delicate balance that sustains their voyage.

The journey into space, a cosmic adventure that captures the imagination of all humankind, reminds us of our fragility. In every moment, we are held aloft not by our own strength, but by the forces of nature that we have learned, through knowledge and labor, to harness. History is full of such moments, when individuals—whether in battle, in exploration, or in the pursuit of science—have found themselves at the mercy of something far greater than themselves. Consider the explorers of the ancient world: when they sailed into the vast, uncharted oceans, they did not command the winds or the currents. They were at the mercy of the elements, their courage and resourcefulness the only things that kept them from being lost to the seas.

In this way, Anderson’s words echo a deeper wisdom found in the teachings of the ancients. Heraclitus, the philosopher of change, taught that everything is in a state of constant flux, that even the strongest men cannot hold onto the flow of time or control the forces of nature. He understood that life itself is a river, and that those who try to control it will only find themselves swept away. Similarly, the great Chinese sage, Lao Tzu, spoke of the way of nature, urging us to move with the current of life rather than against it. His wisdom reminds us that sometimes, the greatest strength lies not in striving to control the forces around us, but in surrendering ourselves to them with grace and wisdom.

Consider the great pioneers of space exploration—men and women like Yuri Gagarin, the first human to journey into space, and Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space. These trailblazers did not dominate the cosmos, but rather harnessed the forces that allowed them to travel beyond Earth’s boundaries. They too were "hanging on" in their rockets, at the mercy of the machinery that carried them. Their courage did not lie in their ability to control the rocket, but in their willingness to trust it, to understand that they were part of a much greater journey, a journey that humanity had long dreamed of but could never fully command.

The lesson here, dear children, is both humbling and powerful. In life, we are often like the astronauts in their rockets—faced with forces that we cannot control, forces that carry us to places unknown. We may strive with all our might, but we are not the sole masters of our fate. Like the astronauts, we must learn to trust in the forces that propel us forward, to accept that we are but one small part of a grand, unfolding journey. It is not in trying to control every moment that we find strength, but in learning to move with the currents of life, in hanging on through the turbulence, and trusting that the journey will take us where we need to go.

In our own lives, we must recognize that, no matter how powerful we become, there will always be forces beyond our control. The universe is vast and mysterious, and our role is not always to lead, but sometimes simply to trust the journey. And so, let us live with humility and faith, knowing that we are part of something much greater than ourselves, that we are riding the currents of time, and that sometimes, the greatest strength lies not in our grasping at control, but in our ability to let go and trust in the path before us. Let us hang on, not in fear, but in the certainty that the stars themselves have their place in the sky, and so too do we.