[meteorite-list] Columbia Disaster and more tragedy (Off-Topic)

From: Bernd Pauli HD <bernd.pauli_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:18:24 2004
Message-ID: <3E3ED63B.8A81B210_at_lehrer.uni-karlsruhe.de>

Hello All!

When Rand vented his feelings about astronaut Kalpana Chawla's last
words to the media, I did not know that I would soon remember his very
words. Most of you will know that I am a teacher. Late in the afternoon,
I had just returned from a funeral ceremony, I got a call from a teacher
collegue who told me that one of our pupils, just 12 years young, had
committed suicide by jumping from the second story of the school
building. Tomorrow morning at 07:15 hrs our time, we will be given some
important information by the principal and the school psychologist
before we meet our students, many of whom had to witness this young life
dying on the ground floor. What will I tell them, what will they ask,
how will they feel? Before this tragic event, I had planned to talk to
them and discuss the Columbia disaster. I would like to do both ... and
this is why I remembered Rand's words. They can help bridge the gap
between both these saddening human catastrophes.

What I would like to beg of you, Rand, is the permission to copy your
words along with my German translation (which you also find attached for
the German-speaking List Members) to use as a sort of "stimulus" to
start a conversation about both the loss of this young life and about
the loss of the Columbia crew. RSVP

Now, here is once more part of Rand's contribution:

In Kalpana Chawla's last words to the media, she described one of her
"big WOWs" of being an astronaut. She told about sitting next to a
window of the space shuttle while looking down at our wonderful blue
planet and its swirling firmament of clouds. Refocusing, she then saw
her own reflection in the shuttle window. Refocusing again, she saw the
reflection of the earth in her own eyes. "This," she said, " was
definitely a big WOW." ... The beautiful dark eyes of Kalpana no longer
exist, but I can't help believing that the memory of her "big WOW" is
somehow remembered in a plane of existence beyond my comprehension.
Yet I continue to try to understand, and as I do, a feeling for humanity
floods over me which I can only describe as ... love.

In Kalpana Chawlas letzten Worten an die Medien beschrieb sie einen
ihrer schönsten Momente als Astronautin. Sie erzählte davon, wie sie
ganz nahe an einem Fenster des Raumgleiters saß, während sie
hinunterschaute auf unseren wundervollen, blauen Planeten und auf sein
sich stetig veränderndes Wolkenfirmament. Als sie dann ihren zur Erde
hinabschweifenden Blick wieder auf das Shuttle-Fenster richtete,
erblickte sie darin ihr eigenes Spiegelbild. Noch einmal richtete sie
gezielt ihren Blick auf das Fenster des Raumgleiters und sah nun das
Spiegelbild der Erde in ihren eigenen Augen. "Dies", so sagte sie, war
defintiv das Allergrößte." ... Die schönen, dunklen Augen Kalpanas gibt
es nicht mehr, aber ich möchte einfach glauben, daß die Erinnerung an
dieses, ihr zuteil gewordenes "großartiges Erlebnis" letztendlich
irgendwie auf einer Bewußtseinsebene erinnerlich sein wird, die jenseits
meines Fassungsvermögens liegt. Und dennoch versuche ich weiterhin, zu
verstehen, zu begreifen, und dabei durchflutet mich ein Hochgefühl für
unsere Menschheit, die ich nur beschreiben kann als ... Liebe.
Received on Mon 03 Feb 2003 03:51:07 PM PST