Letters to the Editor: Billionaires in space, squalor on earth — humanity is in crisis

To the editor: The United States is experiencing a spiritual crisis as we witness attempts by billionaires to become gods by going into space while millions of people live in squalor on earth.

The choice to race to space or transform people’s lives on Earth is the choice between inflating one’s sense of self or incorporating others into one’s sense of self. It’s the difference between separating oneself from others and connecting to others.

We don’t know who we are anymore. We have unmoored ourselves from the practice of values-driven living. This is the stuff of Greek tragedies.

Maggie Light, Carpinteria

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To the editor: I found it ironic that Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson’s trip to space was described in generally positive terms in the same print edition that described dire wildfire conditions and severe drought brought on by climate change resulting from the combustion of fossil fuels.

Noticeably missing from the article was information on the amount of fuel to be consumed per person on these joy rides for the uber-wealthy. This figure should then be converted to something the average person can understand, such as the number of miles a person could drive given that same amount of fuel and the average car.

Space tourism is the last thing we need at this point in the planet’s history.

Glenn Rogers, South Pasadena