Ya can’t take the earth outta the human. Or rather, earthliness.

[After suffering a bout of mortality (the aftermath of a potent flu shot, blood tests, and a full course of antibiotics), I am finally ready to return to the conversation.]

The topic at hand: Humans

The readings for Module Two share a common theme of space travel; each of the stories documents some sort of venture to a world outside of earth. On the surface, we see a metaphor: individuals are separated from earth’s societies and flung into deep space as if it was a symbol for progress and escapism. But despite the advancement of human technology during the time period in which these stories take place, we still see the strong underlying currents of all that makes us human. It has been said for a while (perhaps since the invention of text messaging and interactive voice response), that humans are slowly drifting apart from each other and being absorbed into the matrix of technological innovation. However un-human that might sound, I still believe that we carry the innate desires for communication, comfort, belonging, and survival, wherever we go. And the readings prove that.

In “It’s Great to be Back”, the author suggest that a portion of humanity has almost “evolved” into a new species (like homo sapiens sapiens sapiens) in the case of groundhogs versus lunatics. The newer species is ultra-modern, with their subterranean (sub-lunar?) living, their high IQ’s and superior education. However, we can still see that they are as human as ever; their conversations with their friends display a desire to be understood and accepted. No amount of lunar conditioning can teach a person to stop wanting the approval of others.

Likewise, in “The Cold Equations”, the characters are anything but cold. In fact, the “coldness” of space acts almost as a foil character, highlighting how warm and emotional humans still are, despite being trained to kill on sight. Marilyn even goes through all the stages of grief as she comes to terms with her eventual fate, and reaches out to others during the last moments of her life, despite being born 145 years into the future. The same desire to live (not just survive) is seen in The Martian and “Down and Out”, when the main characters plan in advance how they’re going to extend their lifespan to its fullest. When it comes down to a matter of life and death, technology only acts as an instrument in which a million year-old instinct manifests itself.

I guess to conclude, my general statement about the final frontier is this: No matter how far through time and space we travel, our humanity will always follow us, for it is the precursor to anything and everything we conceive.