Via Kottke..
Scott Carpenter was one of the original seven Mercury astronauts and the
second American to orbit the Earth. Just before he went into space,
his father wrote this wonderful letter.
Dear Son,
I venture to predict that after all the huzzas have been uttered
and the public acclaim is but a memory, you will derive the
greatest satisfaction from the serene knowledge that you have
discovered new truths. You can say to yourself: this I saw, this
I experienced, this I know to be the truth. This experience is
a precious thing; it is known to all researchers, in whatever
field of endeavour, who have ventured into the unknown
and have discovered new truths….More here.
This is surely something that each human should feel at least once during their time here.
