Space & The Future of the AIP Mindset

While we’ve faced an uptick in challenges over the past year, we must never forget how lucky we are to be alive at this moment in history. Humanity stands on the precipice of a meaningful transformation, not only in terms of how we live but who we indeed are. 

For me, “Anything Is Possible” is more than the name of a podcast; it’s central to my outlook on life. I am the product of one man’s step into the unknown over seventy years ago. That single step took my family on an unbelievable journey that continues to bear fruit to this day. He believed that anything is possible, and because of that belief, thousands of lives have changed. 

One small step for a man

My grandfather emigrated from Hong Kong to the United Kingdom in the 50s and started a few successful Chinese restaurants in England. He worked, saved, and eventually built up a substantial real estate portfolio spanning the U.K., Hong Kong and China. 

More than that, he was the quintessential patriarch of both my family and the tight-knit community of Hakka people who followed him to the U.K. in search of a better life. He played the chieftain role, making sure that families under his indirect care were looked after. He made loans to employees so they could start businesses of their own, and he took care of the extended family in Hong Kong from afar. 

He was and still is a commanding presence in the lives of so many. The Tsangs Group of today, for all its innovation and impact, is built on the simple foundation that he prepared through hard work and incremental steps so many years ago. 

As I look to the future, I cannot help but feel that humanity is like my grandfather in the 1950s, about to set sail for a new and foreign world. Except for this time, instead of going to the U.K, we’re shooting for the stars. 

One giant leap for mankind 

One of the great disappointments of the latter half of the twentieth century is that the momentum of the Space Race faded after the Moon landings. 

At the time, the world was optimistic and cautious about the prospects of the brave new frontier and the innovation that would result from its exploration. As government funding and interest waned, however, so did the imagination of the world. 

Or so we thought. As we’ve found, the allure of space travel and exploration impacted the young minds that came of age in the 70s and 80s. Now, brilliant minds like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are turning their childhood dreams into reality through private enterprise. 

Suppose we step back and think about this year’s achievements alone, from the landing of the Perseverance rover on Mars (which admittedly is a NASA effort) to the test flights of SpaceX‘s Starship prototype and Bezos’ Blue Origin rockets. We’re even seeing cooperation between countries, with China and Russia discussing a joint Moon base. In that case, it’s easy to see why I feel like humanity is on the cusp of something big. 

To infinity and beyond 

I believe that exploring space is imperative to the long-term survival of our species. And while colonizing Mars and other planets is certainly a goal, I think that the effort of exploration itself is what matters. 

The problems that weigh us down and drive conflict across borders are fundamentally “small” in nature. Squabbles over race, resources, prestige, and power seem daunting because they’re grounded in the idea of scarcity. There are only so many resources to go around, and that’s why we resort to tribalism and other base instincts. 

Imagine, however, how this can and will change as we explore the cosmos. Just as travel and exposure to different cultures here on Earth tend to open minds to new ideas and possibilities, so will traveling to the stars. 

Once we understand how vast and awe-inspiring the Universe is and how unique our species is in its grand scheme, I believe that our views will shift for the better. I will always remain hopeful that humanity’s best days are ahead of it and will do my part to help shepherd us toward that future. 

That is why Tsangs Group will continue to explore, invest in and support the most promising space-related technologies and the brilliant minds who create them. We consider this an investment in the future of humanity as a whole. I, for one, cannot wait to see what comes next. 

IMAGE SOURCE: NASA on Unsplash