Taking Inspiration From the Angkasawan

So it is now official: we have successfully sent a man to space. For a brief moment when the spacecraft was about to take-off, the whole nation united, gathering prayers and all to this new Malaysian hero who does not only put himself into another chapter of the nation’s grand history, but also orchestrates the notion of nothing is impossible and gives every reason to all of us to start believing. Never mind the political divides or differences in opinion that have long surmounted among the community, or the saga behind this space project or continuing qualms whether it is worth spending that amount of money just so we could ‘stand a few inches taller’ as quoted by our DPM; the main thing at this very moment is that everyone could not say a word of how proud they are for being the countrymen of Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, and Dr. Faiz for that matter.

Carving a new path in a totally unfamiliar field is never easy, especially when it deals with shouldering a country’s hope and pride. You fall, and the whole nation crumbles. To divert from normal, relatively easier lives they were living previously to a new one which offered nothing but uncertainty at the beginning meanwhile is not something everyone would be willing to do and requires the greatest of determination out of men. Yeah, some might put it down to passion- you have been dreaming it since childhood and when it really does come, things just clicked and went on from there smoothly- but passion alone without sheer willpower and never-say-die attitude carries men to nowhere. More than three years from the day the country was set abuzz by the announcement of this Angkasawan Project, and from then on lives have been all about hard work for these heroes of ours. For these reasons, I must say that both Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar and Dr Faiz deserve a bow low and high regard from the entire people of the nation.

Things will not stop right after this 8-day period when Dr. Muszaphar comes back proudly having staked the country’s name in the world’s eye; in fact it might be just a dawn of a new age ahead. The whole agenda does not only revolve around a three-year space project or joining the elite group of 32 countries with space experience or anything like that, but beyond that this episode serves to open up a new kind of possibility for all of us, especially the children. Those who have given up ambition to be an astronaut or any of its kind and have since replaced it with a more realistic one will now find a new reason to revive their original hope. Running on a parallel line, those fretting to venture into a new ground in life have now found a new source of inspiration as a result of this incredible space story. The road ahead may still be topsy-turvy, no easier, but with a reformed spirit and soul we believe that the only way to go is forward.

Borrowing a famous line from Neil Armstrong with a bit of alteration; ‘It is a small step for Dr. Shekih Muszaphar and Dr. Faiz, but a huge leap for Malaysians.’