Let me start by telling you a story:
In 1957, almost 22 years into the Cold War, the entire world was rendered speechless after witnessing the successful launch of the first-ever artificial satellite - Sputnik. Furious by the Soviet Union’s leap into the heavens, the USA entered the space race. NASA was formed in 1958 by Eisenhower. In 1961, the Soviet Union successfully sent a man into space and Kennedy promised to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade.
Going to the moon isn’t sexy to think about anymore so it can be difficult to imagine the impact of this move. A man was able to set foot on the moon for the first time in history in 1969.
In 1969, 96% of US telephones still had dials. The microwave oven wasn’t in half of US homes until 1986. The handheld calculator, the Sony Walkman, the VCR, and the cordless phone didn’t hit until the early 1980s. But America was on the moon. Let that sink in.
The space suits of the two Apollo 11 astronauts were assembled by hand. Their parachutes were cut and sewn by hand. Apollo’s two onboard computers had hardware programs instead of software. Their wires and tiny metal rings were woven by hand with absolute precision to create the 0s and 1s. The sheer dedication of hundreds of thousands of people to accomplish a goal so brave blows my mind.
I read somewhere that the purpose of life is to love, to suffer, and to do something bigger than oneself. Reading about all the chaos in the world makes me think about how some, under the influence of their circumstances, choose to inflict suffering on others, while some bravely absorb the suffering of others around them, turning it into their own. Thinking about the fundamentals of the Lucifer effect (how good people turn evil) and the fact that life inevitably ricochets back at us, helps me pick which side of suffering I’d like to be on.
The heaviness of doing something bigger than yourself weighed upon me when I realized that doing/building something great is, not a task that can be checked off a to-do list. It’s a mindset that one needs to accomplish for sustained growth. As I continue to develop that mindset, I aim to instill somewhat cliche but thought-about virtues in myself along the way - consistency, honesty, and liberty.
Things I am onto:
Replit’s 100 days of code
Keeping a close contact with sleep, exercise, and nutrition
Started my podcast where I talk about the greatest science and engineering missions in history, entrepreneurs, startups, and businesses. Of course, the first episode is about the Apollo Program. To be out soon :)
Learning Physics from first principles.
Exploring & Exploiting Reinforcement Learning (lolol)
Building SuadeAI - my version of the X.com
may god guide you in your quest ~ Michael Scott 👍🏻
References:
https://www.amazon.ca/One-Giant-Leap-Impossible-Mission/dp/1501106309/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3EGV8PR9499PU&keywords=one+giant+leap&qid=1702794701&sprefix=one+giant+leap%2Caps%2C166&sr=8-3