A Man on the Moon

On July 20, 1969, just after 4 pm in my hometown (2017 GMT), Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin landed on the moon. The actual landing had been anticipated and watched for days on local media as the mission had begun with the Apollo 11 launch from Cape Kennedy on July 16^th.

The personal significance of this event is related to my presence with a fleet of Russian ships in the Mediterranean Sea. In my final year of active duty in the U.S. Navy, I was stationed on the USS Belmont AGTR-4. The Belmont was an old Victory ship built in 1944. It had been brought out of “mothballs” and converted for Cold War purposes in 1963. At the time of the Apollo 11 moon landing, the Belmont was hanging out with about 17 Russian ships on a summer cruise in the Med.

Upon learning of the moon landing, we thought it would be appropriate to announce our nation’s accomplishment to our cruise companions. It just seemed like the appropriate thing to do since we were involved in the aforementioned “Cold War.”

Since the landing had taken place just 8pm GMT (the Belmont’s exact location, and time, are not recalled), it may have taken a half hour to an hour for us to announce to our Russian companions a gloating message which was then sent using flashing lights (Morse Code). I don’t know what was expected from the Russians in terms of a response – apparently they didn’t either. But we waited up for some response. In the wee hours of the morning, some 4-5 hours later, a terse message of acknowledgement was received.

Looking back, there have been any number of accusations regarding the actual reality of this accomplishment. Did we really land on the moon, or was it some kind of political theater? It certainly would have been much cheaper for the United States to have staged the event. However, I cannot imagine the Russians verifying the accomplishment – which they did in their response to us on the Belmont late that night.

So, cynic that I am, and willing to play along with the notion of political theater, I guess that I’m actually a “witness” to the facts of that day 53 years ago.

Apollo11 Mission Overview

Proud Remembrance

Each year on this day, I spend quite a bit of time contemplating friends and family who died in the service of our country. Also, friends that were made while I served in the Navy who have passed away since that time. And I think about the uncle I was named for who died late in 1943. Finally, I consider the significance of Memorial Day. A few years ago, I wrote about Memorial Day. 

This year, when rereading this blog post, my attention has been drawn to the initial reason for Decoration Day (what Memorial Day was originally called). Here in a Southern state, examination of our history regarding race, slavery, and those who may have owned slaves is an interesting process involving suffering, contentiousness, invidiousness, jealousy, disdain, and pride. We want to rewrite our history from the perspective of the 21^st century rather than as it happened. We don’t want to remember our history as it was, we want to see it as we wish that it was.

Remembering those who have died in the military while in service for our country cannot, should not be a process of heroic designation any more than of vilification. Most of us who, in the service of our country, were neither heroes nor traitors. We were members of our families, communities, and military branches. We have contributed as our nature and circumstances have allowed. Those who died in that service contributed their lives, not always sacrificed for a higher cause, and not always circumstantially.

When looking back on our memories this Memorial Day, as Joni Mitchell so wonderfully pointed out, we might look at both sides now. We should see our “illusions” and realize that we don’t have the answers, that we really don’t know much about life ("Both Sides Now"). Some things lost and some things gained. I really don’t know life and, therefore, remembering the death of those innocents who served metaphorically alongside us – our peers in a common experience – this is very important to me.

Remembering ordinary souls with pride is helpful in maintaining a perspective on our own ordinary lives. What is ordinary is also special as we are all anchored in a very particular place in time and space, the children of parents, the parents of children, cousins, aunts and uncles with long histories behind and unknown futures. Memorial Day is not for heroes. Memorial Day is about finding perspective.

Hubris: It's as American as hot dogs and apple pie.

Politicians, CEOs, News anchors in the media, people we know, even ourselves have fed off of it.

 Hubris: exaggerated pride or self-confidence

Although most of us have probably felt a degree of personal shame for having exhibited some hubris in our lives, I don’t think that any of us have achieved the degree of notoriety that our elected officials have. Think about it, just by having been elected by so many "positive" votes, they leave the general population far behind with a mouthful of their gloating dust. 

Let's take a step back though, to our own experiences with hubris. Most of us have had some form of positive feedback that allowed the hubris that we subsequently realized may have been over the top for the person that we might think ourselves to be. We may have felt embarrassed or shamed by our behavior. 

You see, it’s a question of scale. We share in a human nature that is filled with a scalable dark side. Furthermore, consider then that we might deny our humanity, our relationship with any of these maniacs who have so much moxie. That is also hubris. As Marlon Brando has pointed out, we “coulda been a contender!” Coulda, woulda, shoulda! Damn! 

Do you see that? We almost accomplished something. Everything is relative, and in many respects, we do accomplish much in our lives. The art of positive thinking is a balance between self confidence and doubt. Stuff and nonsense! Hubris is the suppression of negativity in our thinking. It has nothing to do with the validity or logic of our thoughts or beliefs. The yin and the yang coexist without judgement.

In the past week, I’ve felt a calmness. I watch the evening news and not see much of the G.O.A.T. practitioner of hubris.* My blood pressure is almost normal. I was able to anticipate yet another super bowl that disappointed the majority of viewers. COVID numbers had been falling from the holidays when Americans' practiced mass hubris. It has almost felt normal after a year of anxiety without much distraction.

Now, we’re back to the politics of impeachment and the differing opinions of those same elected officials mentioned above. They will all have a platform for their hubris that we do not have. Our personal hubris will be measured by our frustration. We have given up control to those who must have their own egos boosted to the imagined reality that democratic ideals represent. We have to live with it. 

After a lifetime of watching the hubris of the news media, once the evening news and now the likes of Fox and CNN going at it all day long. Thank god for Netflix!

Post Script: Is hubris always a bad thing? Clearly there are many occasions when hubris has been a necessary ingredient for success. It may be a mask or a shield or the impetus to move forward. 

* Greatest Of All Time - a profound claim that would have many in contention with very little factual meaning. 

Veterans Day

Just a few weeks longer than 55 years ago, I had received my draft notice. I was 20 years old and had been lollygagging in life. I had dropped out of college and had a job. It wasn’t a desirable job and I could see no pathway to a future. What future? I had no sense of that. I had no direction in life and I had no idea what I should do about the notice of conscription. There was no one to advise me about the military. I had no plan. I did not want to be a part of the draft. I did not want to go to southeast Asia (the evening news on television had much to say about Laos, but Vietnam was not the headlines). I had no dreams of seeing the world. But, the mail had been delivered and that damned draft notice was sitting on the kitchen table. 

I knew that I had to do something, and it had to be now. So, I hopped on the bus to downtown and went to see a recruiter. There was no song and dance. There was no promises made. My meeting with the navy recruiter was deadpan and uneventful. I had no idea what questions to ask. I didn’t believe that I had anything to offer other than flesh and bones. Did I mention that I did not want to go to southeast Asia? I was neither John Wayne (although we all loved his movies, “The Green Berets” had not been made yet) nor Arlo Guthrie (“Alice’s Restaurant” had neither been sung nor recorded yet). I did not want to kill, or be killed. I loved my country I suppose, but there was no reason for me to want to join the military. That simply did not equate! At 18 I had experienced a semester of college ROTC. That view of the Army was less enticing than my experience with the Boy Scouts. I had been kicked out of the Boy Scouts.

My joining the Navy was a rather complacent act of “casting my fate to the wind.” Instead of a two year commitment to the Army, I chose 4 years in the Navy. A ridiculous choice, but a “no-brainer!” During that four years, there were plenty of times when I questioned the wisdom of that choice. In retrospect, I bumbled into what was, without a doubt, a brilliant decision. Not only did I survive those years, but I did not go anywhere near southeast Asia. My lollygagging was allowed to be amped up and become much more creative in nature. At the same time, I learned to do a meaningful job that was both useful and worthwhile. And, I learned to serve. Also, I learned to hate the military just as my peers did.  It was the 1960s and the military was an unpopular option that was being imposed upon us by a political establishment that did not have our best interest at the top of their priorities. We all wanted to get out and return to the task of defining our lives. Four years of the 1960s taken from us and replaced with military service that had never been our first choice. I hated the Navy right up to the day that I was allowed to leave it. I hated the Navy for quite a while after as well. Yet, I had learned to serve. Not necessarily “my country,” but my family, friends, social peers, and fellow citizens. 

Today, however, you will not find me hanging out with the other ol’ farts, bragging about my heroic years of service. In the military I did my job well. I learned how to analyze what I did and to reconcile it with my existence. I had fun and served a useful purpose by performing my military mission well. I did nothing heroic but met, and became familiar with, a terrific group of individuals who broadened by perspective on life and gave me a wealth of personal knowledge that I might never have gained otherwise. Finally I realized that serving, although usually not heroic, gives more meaning to life than just about anything. I learned that serving my fellow citizens of this planet is far more important than a mythological “god and country.” In the end, the Navy was good to me. That experience has served me well. I’m a veteran now and not a hero, but as it turns out, proud of my service. 

Surviving the Coronavirus (# 15) - Virtual Travel to Nepal

Holiday in the Annapurna Region

Up to this point on our stroll in Nepal the weather had been good and, since we were all good walkers, we were ahead of schedule. Thus, we were able to enjoy a holiday. 

Our camp was in a gorgeous location with a truly spectacular view of Annapurna II just an easy quarter mile from our camp. We enjoyed a sunny day encamped just above 8,000 ft. We did laundry, rested, and read.

Sikles 

The next day, we descended slowly through thick forest towards Sikles, the largest Gurung village in the Annapurna region (just over 6,500 ft.). The men of Sikles have had a long tradition of supplying some of the finest soldiers to the Gurkha regiments of both the British and Indian armies. 

The huge ‘whaleback’ peak of Lamjung Himal (22,920 ft.) dominates the skyline above Sikles, a mere 6 ¼ miles distant. Our campsite above the village provideed stunning views, particularly at sunset and sunrise.

The following day, our descent from Sikles was a long steady drop of about 1,600 feet to the Mardi Khola (Mardi River). 

In the valley we continued to follow the river downstream. Heading south we passed through small villages and cultivated fields, stopping for lunch at Tabrang Pheding.  

Our afternoon hike is short and we camp by the river in the small Chhettri, Brahmin settlement of Laamokhet (about 3,000 ft.). This area along the Mardi river is sub-tropical, with a spectacular backdrop of snow-capped Himalayan peaks.

Continuing downstream the next day, we cross the Mardi Khola to the east bank, trekking an easy trail to our lunch spot at Bhainse. After lunch, we climb steadily through terraced landscapes to Kalikasthan. 

Our final campsite is only a short distance further on, the site of an old palace from the Gorkha dynasty. Here there is an unrivalled panorama of the high snow peaks from Dhaulagiri (26,794 ft.) in the west to the Annapurnas, Manaslu (26,758 ft.), Peak 29 (24,740 ft.), and Himalchuli (25,718 ft) in the east.

On our final morning, we were up with the sunrise (and it was worth it).

But wait, there's more . . . 

Surviving the Coronavirus (# 14)

No Direction Known

Which way?

Globally there are now over 2 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and over 136,000 deaths. 

In the United States there are approaching 650,000 cases and 30,000 deaths. There may be a “flattening of the curve” in regard to the daily increases in confirmed cases but does that actually mean anything. Without more widespread testing, the actual number of cases is unknown. Talk of “normalizing” the economy seems premature.

An Interesting Week

It’s been an interesting week. The CBS News Magazine show “Sunday Morning” had a piece called “What America Needs From Its Leaders During a Crisis.” There were some definitive comments made by retired four-star General Stanley McChrystal, Dr. Penny Wheeler, the president and CEO of Allina Health, and Father Joseph McShane, the president of Fordham University.

Then, on Monday afternoon I happened to be watching the BBC America report when they went live to President Trump’s daily coronavirus briefing. Unlike other briefings of this type by the president, where we watched Dr. Anthony S. Fauci standing in the background as sort of a visual endorsement of the president’s comments (a task that Fauci didn’t excel at when he seemed not to be able to maintain the serious demeanor required), the president immediately stepped aside to allow Fauci to “clarify” his comments made during an interview the day before on a CNN news program. On that broadcast, Fauci had commented that more lives might have been saved had the country been shut down earlier.

• Fact check of President Trump's April 13th briefing

Fauci's Apology

Fauci seemed to swallow his humble pie in one enormous gulp. Then the president returned to the podium, showed a propaganda video, and ranted about his amazing performance for the next hour. Basically what happened on Monday was a fiasco with the president, digging in on his heels and turning a “briefing” into a clumsy defense of his performance over the past few months.

20/20 Hindsight?

Like anything that is critically examined in hindsight, it is easy to isolate poor judgement and find the mistakes. In the heat of any moment, we all make mistakes. Our reactions, when pushed in the moment, are corrupted by emotional and “gut” responses. Hindsight may give us the benefit of temporal perspective but suffers the bias of experienced outcome. We are unable to objectively know how any of us might act in a particular circumstance. It is for these reasons that our leaders need to be well read in all kinds of history and have a broad background experience. Furthermore, leadership requires that we acknowledge our limits and surround ourselves with well-read, knowledgeable, and experienced advisors rather than donors and bootlickers.

Trump's Leadership

Sadly, President Trump has not performed well as a leader, particularly based on the manner in which leadership had been described in CBS News’ report on “Sunday Morning.” He has danced around truth and fact as if they existed simply to be manipulated for personal gain (political, economic, or personal), not because of any principled effort on behalf of the public good. He was elected because voters have become more and more disillusioned by the antics of political behavior in this country. Both political parties have fallen into this rut and are dragging the entire population of the country down with them.

We are now under attack from a pathogen called COVID-19. This is not a political enemy like in a military battle. Pathogens are invisible. We don’t know how to react to them without some expert guidance from an agency like the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). The CDC is a federal agency that is a part of the Department of Health and Human Services. It is supported by American taxpayers and is meant to provide protection of the public’s health with a particular focus on infectious disease.

Secretary of Health and Human Services

The leadership of the Department of Health and Human Services is a cabinet level position, the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The current Secretary is Alex Azar. Has anyone seen him lately? It has been reported that Azar had urged President Trump to respond early (back in January) to the threat of the coronavirus pandemic.

Daily Beast: "Trump Didn't Like Azar's Warnings, So He Disappeared Him"

Lethal Consequences

Currently, we are being subjected, by our leadership, to incessant quibbling about what we coulda, woulda, and shoulda done. The consequences are lethal in more ways than one. Primarily, we have no protection from COVID-19 – no antidote, no preventative vaccine, and no universal testing. We can be confident that medical science will develop a pharmaceutical defense but, in the meantime, we need to acknowledge that it will take some time. A defense against this coronavirus is not a simple challenge. Drugs need to be extensively tested. Not only does the drug need to beat COVID-19, but it needs to do so without doing other harm. How will it interact with other drugs that we are taking? What dosage will be effective? We will not have this defense next week or even next month. Experience warns us that this sort of development will take a year or longer.

New York Times: “The Huge Cost of Waiting to Contain the Pandemic”

Click to enlarge, Esc to return

We also need to acknowledge that our economy must adapt to the circumstances. This is a wartime situation that is unlike any experience that our leaders have. People need, and want, leadership that gives them confidence and we are not getting it. Leaders all over the world need to take a step back and stop their “doublespeak.” They need to get a whole lot more creative in their thinking. Put their heads together, listen to the ideas of others, and come up with a global plan for a global challenge.

Virtual Travel to Nepal will continue next . . .

Surviving Social Distancing (# 13)

Rude Awakening

One thing about virtually traveling with Google Street View and Google Image Search is comparing the images that we find with our own images and memories, especially when a significant amount of time has passed. Places change, and memories are influenced by an array of factors like the amount of sleep we might of had (or didn't have), smells, tastes, sounds, weather, lighting, etc. 

Actually physical travel, in the sense that we think of as "mass tourism" today, may have gotten its start when industrialists like George Westinghouse, who early in the 20th Century, initiated paid vacations for workers. Working and middle classes had both time and means along with education and curiosity for travel. 

After World War II millions of people, who had been exposed to new, different, and exotic places, wanted to reconnect with friends made during their wartime experiences. They wanted to visit (or revisit) places they had seen or heard about. Automobiles were becoming more affordable, as was gas. Jet aircraft became commercially viable. Credit cards with worldwide purchasing ability became popular. New worlds were opened! 

Predicted employment loss in travel & tourism
due to the coronavirus pandemic
worldwide by region (in millions)

Now, those worlds have closed down due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Both business and leisure travel has come abruptly to a halt. Like many, we've had to cancel plans for travel in the coming months (probably for the rest of the year).

Virtual Travel

Virtual travel provides some interesting insights when "returning" to places that we have visited in the past. Comparing our photographs and memories to what we find online today can reveal some rather dramatic contrasts. Because of the the ubiquitous growth of the travel industry, a quarter century of change makes any place that we have visited into a totally new place. Except, of course, it can't. Our memories cause biases to our vision and insight. 

Climbing (Virtually) is Easy

From Dhiprung our trail heads east, crossing the grain of the land. Our first ascents and descents begin today. We cross the muddy Seti River a short distance upstream.

Climbing steadily through the terraced fields of Khajibung, the trail levels off after a short but steep staircase to give excellent mountain views.
Continuing beyond the ridge we reach a saddle before descending to the little-visited Gurung village of Chyanglung.

After a short stop at the Chyanglung settlement, we descend to the Sardi Khola valley for lunch.



Kyabrang

The afternoon’s walk is a steep climb through terraced fields to the village of Kyabrang.

Kyabrang

From here, a further climb to the top of the ridge brings us to our campsite, commanding fine panoramic views, particularly of the Annapurnas and of Machapuchare.

Another Day Begins

One of the nice things about an arduous trek such as this is waking up to the morning tea service.

Morning tea service

The next two days of the trek are spent crossing the heavily forested ridge separating the Seti and Mardi valleys. 

The first day took us through a hauntingly beautiful rhododendron, oak and bamboo forest.

The morning’s walk is short and the trails are narrow, but easy to follow.

We have lunch in one of the few clearings made by the locals as grazing areas for their water buffalo. 

Encountering water buffalo, by the way, along the trail is truly what defines the trail as "narrow". 

Where are we?

This itinerary seems so easy in our virtual travel reality. At the time, however, we had no idea where we were.

In the afternoon we continued to ascend to the high ridge (8,695 ft.), then we gradually descended to our campsite at Baradhara, a water buffalo pasture

To be continued . . .