Alain Jeannot
24 July 2007
Port Louis — Thirty eight years ago, on 20th July 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first human being to set foot upon an extraterrestrial land. Millions of TV viewers could watch him utter the famous words: "That's a small step for man, but a giant leap for mankind", while he stepped on "the sea of tranquility", a flat surface chosen for the landing of the lunar module The eagle.
It was, however, not a tranquil task to land on the moon due to the presence of heavy boulders around the targeted base.
A quarter of an hour later, fellow astronaut Aldrin, stepping out of The eagle referred to the panorama unfurling before his sight as a "magnificent desolation". In the midst of the fight for world supremacy, the event gave a boost to American pride. Yet, astronaut Armstrong considered the visit on the moon as a result of man's in-built tendency to progress in life. He compared man's destiny of upholding challenges to the salmon, which is bound to swim upstream.
While mankind has conquered distances and outer space, he seems to be getting difficulties in conquering himself. War and hatred is still rife worldwide at all scales, while morality, which stands as a fence against anti-social behaviour, is often set aside as an outdated value. Do we take time to fathom our soul and question our very purpose on this earth? Are we giving the best of ourselves everyday? Are we facing courageously the challenges set by the rapidly changing world?
Although one might ponder and meditate on such issues in many places, churches, temples or other religious service sites are most conducive for such introspection. They are like oases in the desert of our trivial considerations, quenching the desolate lands of our frightful souls, transforming them into magnificent prime lands fit for the growth of love and cooperation. They are like oceans of tranquility in that clamorous world of ours. This world where one tends to ape like monkeys those who pretend that time is money paradoxically compromise on the greatest of all wealth by neglecting their physical and spiritual health. Since remote times, man has always felt the need to worship the greater being whom he felt created the world and the universe. In his quest, the conception of a place of worship for the eternal, the omnipresent was unavoidable. This place of worship, which man considers as the house of God can only but help him move in the right direction. Therefore it would be desirable if we could take advantage of the many beautiful places of worship present on the island. Besides being tangible legacy to our history, they might help us better write the pages of our destiny and that of our country. Short visits to a place of worship might hide giant leaps in making of us better beings, no need to go to the moon for proofs, just look around you and you will see!
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