East and West and Outer Space: Ladies and Sirs and Trade and Commerce, and… space pirates!
Imagine this:
You have already seen the full panoramic view of the earth and its moon a thousand times previously.
Circling the earth is as simple for a fly to circle an apple.
We have identified life on other planets. We study new triple coil genetic structures at Universities.
We have identified intelligent life forms on other planets. The new mega hit AI toy looks just the same as those newly discovered life forms.
What if space exploration was an existing reality and your kids’ dream job is serving on board of the Enterprise?
“A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream we dream together is reality”.
Richard Branson hugs designer Burt Rutan during a test flight of SpaceShipTwo in Mojave.
Space exploration, be it space tourism, space commerce and other, these are no longer a fantasy; it is a coming reality. It is no secret that probably in a decade or two tours to space would be as common and acceptable as a flight from Australia to Europe. Furthermore, what will the world be like 50 years from now, with the progression of our global social consciousness and higher degree of freedom of action?
I know that for most people it is hard to plan a week in advance so to think they can imagine the future, to understand it and why it is that we should pursue Outer Space exploration, is defiantly not an easy talk. So for what reason, why only now and why Outer Space? To better understand that let’s go back in time.
Imagine this: Seamen run all over, loading and unloading the merchandise in the new port, and then in a different picture, they are already at sea, sailing it is for several weeks now, waiting for the moment when the announcer will shriek: “laaand Ohoy!” and then all as one will raise their hands in the air with voices of cheering and joy from all over.
The costumes, the swords, the styled firearms, unshaven seamen, mice meandering all around the ship, a soap enriched with bug’s protein. I can imagine myself travelling back in time, back to those days, the fifteen century, when the European sought for the sea route toward India, meaning, the East. It was from there that tea, spices and also precious stones, jewelry, perfumes, cloth, art objects and many strange and different luxuries arrived to Europe. The question is, of course, what reason, why only then and why by sea?
“Curiosity takes you from here to there.”
At that time, voyages to India, by sea, were becoming more and more frequent; those led the Europeans to a new epoch of explorations and discoveries. With the conquest of Constantinople, known today as Istanbul, by the Turks (Ottomans) presented the problem of commerce with India and China; in fact, the Turks tried to encourage commerce with Europeans but this seemed to fail for other reasons such as the war with the Venetians, who preferred to trade with the Mamluks. To that end, the traffic overland to the east, through Persia and Syria, had stopped. And please understand, from Asia arrived merchandise that every Lady and every Sir had to purchase for themselves, as for Ladies and Sirs can’t live as Ladies and Sirs should unless they own silk, jewelry and spices that exist in Asia and only in Asia!
What a terrible disaster! What a panic! Those wild Turks… they took over ports, the Mediterranean, and cut off the trade with the east. What value has life without cotton, silk, without jewelries and without spices…?
China is the world’s third biggest market for personal luxury goods, worth at least 160 billion yuan (US$25-billion). In the next three years, it is expected to leapfrog over Japan and the United States to take the top spot, with the luxury segment expanding to 180 billion yuan (US$28-billion).
A friendly remark: I allow myself to leave it for you to imagine (and blog) of what if todays’ Ladies and Sirs in Asia couldn’t have LV bags, German milk powder, Mercedes-Benz and other Western brands that exist in the West and only in the West!
European Explorers or Pirates?
So a new epoch of explorations and discoveries has opened and the first to lead those were the Portuguese and Spaniards. European Nations, such as England, were determined to share the opportunities offered by the exploration of the New World. If, on their voyages, the European explorers encountered the opportunity to raid foreign European ships this would not have been greeted with disapproval from their monarchs. Thus many explorers also gained the reputation of being Pirates or Privateers. The Spanish were continuously harassed in the Caribbean by pirates and buccaneers who attacked the Spanish galleons which were carrying riches back to Spain. The Age of Discovery turned into the Golden Age of Piracy!
Now, going back to the future, it might be too early for me to try and describe to you a “day in the life” of an intergalactic diamonds trader or smuggler. Nonetheless, it would be interesting to hear your thoughts of what is it that we can do now as to prevent acts of terror and piracy related to space technology and innovation.
Obviously, international trade and commercial profit are indeed main reasons for us to explore our solar system and beyond. As said, Ladies and Sirs will always need to have fashionable items, be it a LV bag or a IWC watch, green tea or a flight ticket on board of Virgin Galactic.
To your success dear earthlings,
With playful regards,
Galorian
