In terms of revolutionizing the world and pushing humanity forward, Elon Musk has easily been one of the most consequential figures in the last decade. Not only did he make electric vehicles profitable, but he somehow also did the same with rocket science. At the moment, Musk is busy developing self-driving cars, neural transmitters, and high-functioning androids.
Thus, it is right and just that an acclaimed biographer like Walter Isaacson tells the Musk story. The example of a self-made visionary overcoming obstacles is nothing short of inspiring. More importantly, his experience as a member of Generation X (those between 45 and 60) is representative of many in his age group.
Naturally, the biography emphasizes Musks technical genius and indomitable will. At so many junctures in his life, Musk drives both himself and his employees to do amazing things, like produce thousands of Teslas in an impossibly short timeframe or design a reusable rocket that can safely transport astronauts to the international space station.
These great feats, however, often come at great human cost, with Musk and his crew often hitting the breaking points of sanity and emotional stability. In such moments, Musk goes into demon mode, brutally criticizing and firing employees, denouncing and mocking the competition, and desperately looking to distract himself from a deep internal darkness (usually through work).
Although Musk and his biographer will attribute these manic episodes to his undiagnosed Aspergers Syndrome or his commitment to greatness, a Christian would rightly conclude that almost all of his personal turmoil stems from the absence of a spiritual life.
Musk is one of the richest and most celebrated men in the world, yet he also has to be one of the loneliest and saddest, bereft of community, meaning, and love. At one point, he told admirers: Id be careful what you wish for. Im not sure how many people would actually like to be me. The amount I torture myself is next level, frankly.
Like many of his generation, Musk, 52, grew up in a broken household. He had a callous, emotionally abusive father and a vain, passive mother. Inevitably, they divorced as their children reached adolescence. Musk technically attended a Christian school in South Africa, but his family never went to church. Instead of learning how to pray and cultivate virtue, he learned how to fight and write programs. Upon experiencing existential depression as a teenager, he found solace in reading The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and playing video games.
This background made him tough, resourceful, and well-positioned to thrive in America in the 90s and 00s, but it also made him temperamental and restless. Again, like many in his generation, he filled the hole in his heart with an addiction to work and video games. This led him to make his first fortune with Zip2, then another with PayPal, then another with SpaceX, and then another with Tesla. Each time, he would launch a project surge, mandating long hours, maximizing efficiency, berating employees, and constantly taking risks.
Rather than being motivated by fame or fortune, Musk was driven by something much greater: faith. Except that the faith he embraced was the nebulous idea of human progress, not organized religion. Judging from his comments, his idea of heaven includes cyborg humans, friendly non-woke robots, spaceships going to Mars, and gloriously high birthrates. Its a vision somewhat like Ray Bradburys short story, Mars Is Heaven!, but without the tragic ending.
Despite his uncompromising disposition, Musk has disciples who look up to him as a kind of messiah. As one might imagine, those close to Musk have the same outlook on life as he does. They go hardcore with their duties, dispense with personal attachments, and attempt to do the impossible. In a revealing exchange between Musks longtime employees, one of them admitted, I was burned out [working at Tesla]. But after nine months [elsewhere], I was bored, so I called my boss and begged him to let me come back. I decided Id rather be burned out than bored.
Somewhere up in heaven, Blaise Pascal, who once wrote that All mans troubles come from not knowing how to sit still in one room, is likely shaking his head and sighing at these poor souls. While they have applied their remarkable brainpower to things that Musk proudly declares are far cooler than whatever is the second coolest, they have sacrificed the very thing that makes them human in the first place: relationships, contentment, and purpose.
At what point can people finally settle down and rest in their accomplishments? When does the constant striving end? What would have to happen to Elon Musk or his disciples for people to realize that this is not a good model for a rich and fulfilling life? If constant work is the way to heaven, does that mean retirement is the way to hell? Was Ayn Rand right after all that our world is lifted by atlases and fountainheads simply being their brilliant selves?
Put simply, the hustle never stops. Of course, it could be worse. One of Musks many envious opponents in business or government could take him down and impose on all of us a drab, regressive police state that opposes human achievement and independence. This possibility has made most conservatives generally supportive of Musk who at least believes in free speech, industry, free markets, and humanity.
Its important to realize, however, that human life could be made better, yet Musk will not be the worlds savior. The real progress to be made by society does not reside in rockets and robots, but in community and contemplation. True, these goods can coincide and complement one another, but the former should not overtake the latter. Before man was made for work, he was made for love.
Lets hope that Elon Musk and the many who share his post-Christian faith in technology and themselves will come to realize this before they burn out for good.
Link:
For Elon Musk and His Disciples, Mars Is Heaven - The Catholic Thing
- Scientist explains the weird stuff that would happen to the first humans who live on Mars - UNILAD - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Heating Mars On The Cheap - Hackaday - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Elon Musk just gave another Mars speechthis time the vision seems tangible - Ars Technica - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Thousands of strange white rocks found on Mars. Will they ever be brought to Earth? - Space.com - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Could microbes feed astronauts on Mars? - Sciworthy - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Elon Musk to send a million people to Mars - AzerNews.Az - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Bruno Mars Announced as L.A.s Intuit Dome Grand Opening Performer - Hollywood Reporter - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- L.A. Clippers New Intuit Dome Will See Bruno Mars As Its Opening Act - Deadline - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- NASA's Curiosity Mars rover begins exploring possible dried-up Red Planet river - Space.com - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- NASA`s Perseverance rover spots thousands of `unusual` white rocks on Mars - WION - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Mission to Mars? Vertical Future to develop prototype for growing crops in space - BusinessGreen - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- SpaceX plans to leave the first humans on Mars stranded with no way home - TweakTown - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Astrophysicist called the colonization of Mars a dangerous illusion - The Universe. Space. Tech - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Bruno Mars Announced as Intuit Dome's Grand Opening Performer With Two Shows in Los Angeles on August 15 and 16 - Business Wire - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Mars may not have had liquid water long enough for life to form - Ars Technica - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- NASA Crashed a Spacecraft Into an Asteroid and There Could Be Some Consequences - Popular Mechanics - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Madison board to vote on Mars Hill wedding venue, 1st since event venue moratorium - Citizen Times - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Want to Start a Farm on Mars? This Rover Will Find Out if it's Possible - Universe Today - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Bruno Mars will open the new Intuit Dome in Inglewood with 2 shows in August - Daily Breeze - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- The Vanguard of the Red Planet: Understanding the Drive Behind Mars Colonization - yTech - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- New insights into Mars' vanishing water mystery from Curiosity rover - Earth.com - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Bruno Mars announced as grand opening act of Inglewood's new Intuit Dome - FOX 11 Los Angeles - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Mars and FAO Food Safety Partnership Targets Mycotoxins - Food Digital - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Preparing for the Psychological Journey to Mars: Innovative Research on Astronaut Well-being - yTech - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- NASA May Have Inadvertently Redirected An Asteroid At Mars - IFLScience - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- NASA mission sparks 'space billiards' as boulders head toward Mars - Gwinnettdailypost.com - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Giant Mars asteroid impact creates vast field of destruction with 2 billion craters - Space.com - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- NASA's attempt to bring home part of Mars is unprecedented: The mission's problems are not - Phys.org - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Mars Spacecraft Marks 25,000 Orbits With Volcanoes, Clouds And A Moon - Forbes - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- NASA smashed an asteroid with a rocket. The debris could hit Mars. - National Geographic - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Elon Musk Says 'Almost Anyone' Can Afford A $100,000 Ticket To Mars By Working And Saving But 57% Of People ... - Yahoo Finance - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Mars Mysteries: Unveiling the Icy Craters - NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Future Mars plane could help solve Red Planet methane mystery (exclusive) - Space.com - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Sols 4137-4138: Fascinated by Fascination Turret! NASA Mars Exploration - NASA Mars Exploration - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Drilling for water ice on Mars: How close are we to making it happen? - Space.com - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- This Summer, Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Grateful Deads From the Mars Hotel - Rolling Stone - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Bruno Mars and Las Vegas from those MGM debt rumours to his new bar - Style - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Mars using Ansys software to transform packaging development - Recycling Today - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Mars as a Driver of Deep-Sea Erosion - Eos - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- A Song of Ice and Tectonics - NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Mars Hill students, faculty join residents to mourn 10 campus trees ahead of removal - Citizen Times - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Grateful Dead From The Mars Hotel (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) - Shore Fire Media - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Texas will be the launchpad for Mars: Governor announces board of directors for Texas Space Commission - KWTX - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- M&Ms and Snickers parent company Mars spending $70M to open an 'innovation lab' in NJ - NorthJersey.com - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Historic water bomber, Hawaii Martin Mars, to be displayed in BC museum - The Nelson Daily - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics & Chemicals (SHERLOC) - NASA - NASA Mars Exploration - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- This little rover will ride shotgun on Japan's ambitious Mars moon sample-return mission - Space.com - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Lawmakers announce caucus focused on space and planetary science - NBC News - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- The science value of Mars Sample Return - The Planetary Society - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Study determines the original orientations of rocks drilled on Mars - MIT News - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- The secret history of water on Mars: What ancient climate change tells us about the future on Earth - Salon - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Bridging the cultural divide for moon to Mars - SpaceNews - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Mars was once a cradle for life, according to scientists - Earth.com - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Curiosity Rover is Climbing Through Dramatic Striped Terrain on Mars - Universe Today - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Sols 4114-4115: Bingo! It's Official Curiosity's 40th Successful Drill Hole on Mars! NASA Mars Exploration - NASA Mars Exploration - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Will NASA be able to return Mars samples to Earth? New audit raises doubts - Space.com - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- NASA Discovery Could Mean Mars Had Life-Supporting Hydrothermal Vents - Syfy - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Perseverance rover spots Ingenuity helicopter's snapped-off rotor blade on Mars (photos) - Space.com - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- NASA's Mars Sample Return Program struggles to get off the drawing board - The Register - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- NASA Eyes New Operating Plan For Mars Sample Return Mission - Aviation Week - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Scientists find unexpected biomolecule on Mars that could have triggered life on the red planet - WION - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Mythical Retellings, Mars Colonies, and Reincarnated Lovers: March's Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books - Literary Hub - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Bruno Mars adding 12 new Las Vegas performances, opens The Pinky Ring - KTNV 13 Action News Las Vegas - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Contact restored with NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter - UPI News - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Massive deposits of water ice discovered on the equator of Mars - EL PAS USA - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Do we have to go to Mars to see the Martian Mountains? - Tehran Times - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- NASA lost contact with its Mars helicopter. - The Verge - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- MICK MARS Shows Off His Guitar Collection - "I'm A Tone Guy, Even Though I'm Half Deaf Now"; Video - bravewords.com - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Mars Opens Transformative $42m Snacking Research and Development Hub in Chicago - PR Newswire - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- NASA lost contact with Mars helicopter Ingenuity, then managed to find it again - The Register - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Mick Mars Explains What Set Mtley Cre Apart from Other '80s Bands, Recalls Why They Decided to Tune Down - Ultimate Guitar - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Suspected Small Oceans Worth of Ice Found Under Surface of Mars - High Times - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Mars Express Finds New Evidence for Ice-Rich Layered Deposits in Medusae Fossae - Sci.News - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Mysterious patch on Mars appears to be enormous lump of ice - New Scientist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Solvents may pave way for building on Mars and the moon - Futurity: Research News - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- A Massive Amount of Water Ice Has Been Found on Mars, Lurking Beneath The Equator - ScienceAlert - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- NASA says it's reestablished contact with the Ingenuity Mars helicopter - Engadget - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Mars senior executive reveals his best career hack for climbing the corporate ladder: Stop fixating on that promotion. Worry about learning, not your... - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- NASA has lost communication with the Ingenuity Mars helicopter - Digital Trends - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- ESA's Mars Express orbiter discovers ice water deposits at the Red Planet's equator - Euronews - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]