Launch of India’s Mars Probe
India’s recent Mars space probe initiative has attracted a lot of world attention. India has joined the elite in space exploration with the launch of its Mars probe. It has joined the ranks of the superpowers and is in competition with its neighbour, China. Congratulations India. The world needs more initiatives such as this. More discoveries need to be made. Many technological innovations that the world is sharing today emanated from American and Russian space race in the sixties, amongst others, and benefited the world in many fields, spanning medicine, agriculture, communications, aviation etc.. Almost everything we look at today is invariably connected to the work done by NASA and other such organisations. Such is the power of research and development and in particular space exploration that a cure for dreaded diseases such as cancer might be discovered. Countries who have the capabilities to explore space and contribute to new innovations are encouraged to go ahead and experiment to make the world a better place for all to share. Go India.
World Criticism
India has been heavily criticised for embarking on this Mars probe when it is faced with high poverty rates at home. India claims that the probe, by world standards is a low budget exploration and something that it can afford but the world is critical, claiming that India should be spending this money on its people instead. Initially, this criticism of India made sense but then, when looking at the big picture, the question emerges, does it?
India’s Stigma
China and India amongst others are in the forefront of unprecedented economic growth, far ahead of the western nations some of whom are struggling with burgeoning public debt, high unemployment rates, saturated markets, and aging populations syndromes. China has its internal issues and questionably wage levels that make it one of the lowest cost producers in the world. India, since time immemorial has been conjured as a nation overflowing with poverty. Yet these nations are producing and capitalising on some of the best economic results in the world with global impact. How do these facts reconcile? Well they don’t, due to media architects. It’s how the media decides to craft the message to the world and what its agenda of the day is. A good example is how it portrays some African and South American countries. The only frequent visuals you get are the squalor of shanty towns, crime and corruption. You will rarely see, if at all, the impact of wealth creation, the leafy suburbs, the growing millions of middle class people, expansion in infrastructure, how economic problems are being solved by its own people, and the exponential increase in tertiary education numbers. Perhaps the world is not interested in these scenarios and the media believes that it is its prerogative to show the world what it thinks they ought to see and know. Is it sensationalism or is there a deeper hidden agenda?
Fact of life
To compete in the world, people and countries cannot be held ransom to the state of their nations. With over 7 billion people in the world, fighting poverty becomes an even bigger challenge. Poverty is going to be around, at least, for as long as there is capitalism. Corporate greed will ensure this. Life must go on and new discoveries must be made to meet the new challenges of the world. Like a family unit a country is a complex entity with many duties and responsibilities. One of them is to remain in the forefront of progress, raising personal standards and innovating for the future. Progress rarely comes with luck. It is hard work and perseverance, and needs intelligence and investment. To cite some scenarios and situations:
– Lets take a family that has poor relatives.The family is educating its children to make sure that they continue to excel in life. Their children attend institutions like Harvard whilst the poor relatives have to leave high school and look for work. Should they compromise their children’s education by sending them to mediocre colleges and give their poor relatives money from their savings. Or should they build their resources and develop the family infrastructure that may change the entire households forever. This is the crux of the matter. There are no clear cut answers and where should the sacrifice be.
– The US has trillions of dollars of debt. Should it continue investing in military spend when it can pay off its debt? Is state security more important than its debt repayment?
– The number of homeless people in the world is alarming and no country is immune. Choose any country and google the homeless numbers. The statistics will astound you. Not surprisingly, those commentators who are advocating that India spends its money on the poor have some of the highest number of homeless people. If countries were to abandon investments in innovation, research and development and give it all to the poor it will be absolute foolishness and irresponsibility. A few of the minority will benefit short term or until the money is depleted, whilst the long term benefit to the majority will be stifled; and consequently no benefit in terms of new discoveries, solution to world challenges etc. Countries need to develop new strategies to tackle poverty issues instead of accepting suggestions to indulge in hand-outs and forego the opportunity to invest in new innovation.
National and global challenges
There should always be strategies in place to tackle the problems of the world. As long as the world continue to revolve, it will have challenges, such as availability of clean drinking water, malaria, cancer and poverty amongst others. Most solutions were developed by people through research and explorations, discoveries and sacrifices. All aspects of positive innovation is favoured and encouraged.
Nations needs to Celebrate their Successes More
Advancing nations need to celebrate their achievements and successes and become more vociferous in the world. They need to tell the world how well they are doing and claim their rightful place on the global podium. The global village is changing very fast and diversifying exponentially. Global success provides international leverage for a nation’s people and makes them proud wherever they are present.
The next wave of innovation and technological developments that will influence and shape the world socio-political and economic landscape will emerge from these advancing nations. Already, we see the world benefit from lower cost products and affordability spread more across the globe. More populations now have access to new medical technologies and innovations, televisions, cell phones and motor vehicles at significantly lower prices and the revolution will continue.
Nations and commentators take note!
