SPACE OR EARTH—WHERE SHOULD THE MONEY GO?

In all honesty, each time I hear of the billions being spent on space exploration and deep sea research, I often feel somehow like I'm irritated or something close to that. It's not like I hate science; in fact, I adore it and the advances its knowledge has brought to our world. However, I just can't help but ask myself if spending money on these things is what we need at this point in time, when people are suffering and dying due to hunger, starvation, and abject poverty.

When you move across the world, you'll come across people where suffering, We've got countries that are drowning in debt and citizens that can't afford three square meals. We've got hospitals that lack basic equipment, schools falling apart, and graduates roaming around the street without jobs or anything to put food on their table. And yet, despite all of these, we keep hearing about different space projects that have been funded with hundreds of millions. It's ridiculous.

I mean, what's the purpose of all these in the end? Earth has been deemed to be the only safe space for us humans; why, then, do we keep spending millions to explore places or set up base in places that we can't live in? Imagine funding a space exploration project set to discover if water exists on Mars or if there are other habitable planets out there.

While I've said times without number that I'm a science person, it's still worth noting that I understand that in the long run all of these might go on to be beneficial to the human race, as all of these researches can lead to scientists discovering secrets that can improve life, which is a good thing, but then, I still think it's ideal to first fix what is broken and needs a fix here on earth first by creating solutions to the multiple real-life problems we've got, such as poor infrastructure, unemployment, insecurity, poverty, insecurity, hunger, and the like.

If we're being honest with ourselves, we'll know that someone who finds it difficult to afford a single decent meal in a day won't see the benefits of space exploration, or what's the use of the benefits of a space station that costs hundreds of millions of dollars to set up and maintain when a pregnant woman in a rural area can't even access a decent clinic or basic healthcare services? My stance on matters in recent times has been balanced, and I think it would be the same here as well.

Which simply insinuates that I'm not saying we should bring space exploration or deep-sea research to a halt; all I'm saying is that while innovation and science have been good to us, this particular one seems like a misplaced priority, because I think these funds would have been better invested in improving life for people here on earth, which is very positive and would yield effective outcomes if such resources were channeled into healthcare, agriculture, education, and job creation. I believe present issues need to be solved before we start living in the trances of what it'll feel like to live on Mars or explore deep-space places like the Mariana Trench.

I don't see a point in discovering a new planet when the current one we're in isn't catered for, especially when you and I know if peradventure Mars ended up being made habitable for humans, only the high and mighty would move there, while the poor and taxpayers would remain here because of their inability to book a flight to the other side of the universe.

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All photos are taken and edited on canva.

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