Why Mars Could Be the Next America

A True Story
by
Copyright ©
Picture related to the title of the story
This is the planet Mars. Photo credit: NASA

As the Sun is setting on Ngong Hills that form the western horizon of my home area, I've thought it wise to let my imagination loose and think of the universe we live in. And what a mysterious universe it is!

Okay, let me begin with the solar system. 99.86% of its mass is in the Sun, that small ball of fire setting on Ngong Hills. So planets, including our beautiful Earth, only account for 0.14% of the solar system mass. Interesting, isn't it?

To make the story even more interesting, our galaxy (the Milky Way) has billions of stars, many of which are bigger than the Sun. And there are billions of galaxies in the universe, many of which are bigger than the Milky Way.

All those stars and galaxies imply there are trillions and trillions of planets. I wouldn't be surprised if future generations discover one that supports life. They could even establish interplanetary civilizations.

Suppose they succeed in establishing interplanetary civilizations, which planet will they first conquer? I think it'll be Mars.

Reddish in color, Mars can't support life. Its atmosphere is so thin that a man landing there without a spacesuit would die in minutes. And the planet is so cold that some atmospheric gases have condensed into dry ice.

Why, then, do I think Mars might be the first planet that future generations will conquer? For three reasons.

First, the planet is a close neighbour. And it isn't as hot as Mercury and Venus, our closest neighbours.

Second, Mars gravity is weaker than Earth's. So it will take less energy to work and play on Mars. It will also take less energy to launch rockets, making it easier to explore planets further afield.

Third, global warming will make Mars habitable since its cold. Should the Earth keep on getting hotter, future generations might move to Mars, just like people in the Old World immigrated to America in search of wealth and freedom.

Yes, Mars has the potential to be the next land of opportunity. If future generations conquer it, they might come up with the Martian Dream - Mars version of the American dream.

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RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed this story, you might also enjoy "The Thuita Doctrine".
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What It Means to Be Free

A True Story
by Thuita J. Maina
on Dec 11, 2018
Copyright ©
Picture related to the title of the story
With permission, I've extracted this picture-quote from Daily Verses. All rights reserved worldwide.

In 2008 when I stopped attending engineering classes at JKUAT, I spent most of my time alone: sometimes in the library, sometimes in the fields. Though it wasn't clear to me then, it is freedom I wanted.

You see, feelings of confusion and timidity had held me back. I couldn't even feel at ease with people, something that made it easy for some of them to exploit me.

Perhaps to feel totally free, I went to Nairobi where I saw prostitutes for the first time one night. They were seductively dressed but thankfully, I didn't fall for their business.

JKUAT authorities eventually apprehended me, thus ending my days as "a free man". They first took me to a police cell and then to a nursing home.

Although I felt like suing them for what they put me through, I now feel they did the right thing because I didn't understand what it means to free when I withdrew from classes at JKUAT. I now do.

The way I see it, to be free means to first live in love, hope and faith. Given the way I've grappled with hate, guilt and worry over the years, the walk to freedom isn't easy.

Second, to be free means getting along well with people, especially at home and in workplaces. It was foolish of me to spend time alone at JKUAT and still think I was becoming free.

Lastly, to be free means having enough money to meet our needs. I wonder what I would have done had I ran out of money while hanging around at JKUAT in 2008. That's why I feel the university authorities did the right thing by taking me to a nursing home.

Now that I understand what it means to be free, I'm working out my way to freedom. And to be free is wonderful because it makes us think creatively. No wonder President Franklin Roosevelt looked forward to a world founded on freedom.

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RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed this story, you might also enjoy "Long Walk to Freedom".
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Bible Quote

"Always be full of joy in the Lord; I say it again, rejoice! Let everyone see that you are unselfish and considerate in all you do... Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything; tell God your needs and don't forget to thank Him for His answers. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand."

~Phillipians 4:4-7 (TLB)

About the Author

Name: Thuita J. Maina
Marital status: Single
Lives in: Kiserian, Rift Valley, Kenya
Mission: To inspire the world to godly living, one person at a time.

Just for Laughs

There was this drunkard called Azoge who loved drinking at Josiah's Bar. On being told a certain Hon. Nanga was flying to America to be conferred a law degree so that he could be admitted to the bar, Azoge replied, "Why fly all the way to America to be admitted to the bar while you can get into Josiah's Bar any time?"



The 7 Deadly Sins

  1. Pride
  2. Envy
  3. Gluttony
  4. Lust
  5. Anger
  6. Greed
  7. Sloth

Author's Note

I am learning to treat life as a journey, not a destination; I have therefore given up the things that weighed me down and I am now living my life to the fullest because the tomorrow I had always hoped to live my dreams may never be mine.

Fun Facts

  1. The fear of having no cell-phone service, running out of battery, or losing sight of your phone is called Nomophobia, reportedly affecting 66% of people.
  2. A single Google search needs more computing power than it took to send Apollo 11 to the moon. The Apollo computer was less equipped than a modern toaster.
  3. Besides being some of the biggest names in the tech industry, HP, Apple, Google and Microsoft share another commonality. They all started in garages.
~Extracted from Codingforums.com

Health Tips

"So many of us take for granted the wonderful construction of the human body and the workings of its various parts. Some of us even expect it to function efficiently with less than the minimum care and attention. Learn the much you can about your body and how the care of it can help give you that greatest blessing of all - good health."

~From Your Body (A Ladybird Book)

Wonders of the Modern World

  1. The Simplon Tunnel
  2. The Sky-scrapers of New York
  3. The Boulder Dam of Colorado
  4. The Panama Canal
  5. The Golden Gate Bridge
  6. The Taj Mahal at Agra in India
  7. The North Sea Oil Drilling Rigs

The Kind of Leaders We Need

"My life in politics was a joy. I loved campaigns and I loved governing. I always tried to keep things moving in the right direction, to give more people a chance to live their dreams, to lift people's spirits, and to bring them together. That's the way I kept score."

~Bill Clinton

Scientific Marvels

  1. Space travel
  2. Heart surgery
  3. Fibre-optics communication
  4. Concorde
  5. Radios
  6. Computers
  7. Anesthetics

My Supreme Desire

To borrow the words of Elbert Hubbard, my supreme desire is to radiate health, cheerfulness, calm courage and goodwill. I wish to live without fear, hate, guilt, worry and jealousy; to be honest, natural, confident, clean in mind and body - ready to say "I do not know" if it be so; to treat all men with kindness; and to meet any loss, failure, criticism and rejection unabashed and unafraid.



Greatest American Presidents

  1. Abraham Lincoln
  2. George Washington
  3. Thomas Jefferson
  4. Franklin Roosevelt
  5. Theodore Roosevelt
  6. Woodrow Wilson
  7. Andrew Jackson

Making Peace With the Past

"Dwell not on your past. Use it to illustrate a point, then leave it behind. Nothing really matters except what you do now in this instant of time. From this moment onwards you can be an entirely different person, filled with love and understanding, ready with an outstretched hand, uplifted and positive in every thought and deed."

~Eileen Caddy

Toughest Colleges to Get Into

  1. MIT
  2. Princeton
  3. Harvard
  4. Yale
  5. Stanford
  6. Brown
  7. Columbia

Why You Should Trust God

"Men and women who turn their lives over to God will find out that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities and pour out peace."

~Ezra Taft Benson

The 7 Greatest Scientists

  1. Albert Einstein
  2. Isaac Newton
  3. Galileo Galilei
  4. Nikola Tesla
  5. Aristotle
  6. Archimedes
  7. Charles Darwin

You Matter

"Always be yourself. Never try to hide who you are. The only shame is to have shame. Always stand up for what you believe in. Always question what other people tell you. Never regret the past; it's a waste of time. There's a reason for everything. Every mistake, every moment of weakness, every terrible thing that has happened to you, grow from it. The only way you can ever get the respect of others is when you show them that you respect yourself and most importantly, do your thing and never apologize for being you."

~Unknown

The Most Industrialized Nations

  1. United States
  2. Japan
  3. Germany
  4. France
  5. United Kingdom
  6. Italy
  7. Canada

Keys to Success

"...in his effort to withstand temptation, to economize, to exercise thrift, to disregard the superficial for the real - the shadow for the substance; to be great yet small, in his effort to be patient in the laying of a firm foundation; to so grow in skill and knowledge that he shall place his services in demand by reason of his intrinsic and superior worth. This is the key that unlocks every door of opportunity, and all others fail."

~Booker T. Washington

The 7 Social Sins

  1. Politics without principle
  2. Wealth without work
  3. Pleasure without conscience
  4. Knowledge without character
  5. Commerce without morality
  6. Worship without sacrifice
  7. Science without humanity

Cherish What You Love

"Cherish your visions, cherish your ideals, cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts - for out of them will grow all heavenly environment, of these if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built."~James Allen

The World's Largest Cities

  1. London in England
  2. New York in the United States
  3. Tokyo in Japan
  4. Berlin in Germany
  5. Chicago in the United States
  6. Shanghai in China
  7. Paris in France

Benefits of Optimism

"In terms of success, optimistic people out perform their pessimistic colleagues. Research shows that they are consistently promoted higher and make more money while working fewer hours than those who think pessimistically. Optimists also contribute more significantly to social progress. It is the optimists who start and run successful companies, who win elections and carry out reforms, and who make breakthroughs in the realms of science and technology."

~Pepe Minambo

The World's Greatest Lakes

  1. Caspian Sea in the Commonwealth of Independent States, C.I.S. (formerly U.S.S.R)
  2. Lake Superior in North America
  3. Victoria Nyanza in Central Africa
  4. Aral Sea in C.I.S.
  5. Lake Huron in North America
  6. Lake Michigan in North America

Demonstrating His Love

"Take your communication for instance - the way you address others. It ought to be with loving, gracious and edifying words. Never talk people down. Never use words that hurt and demean people. Communicate excellently with others without destroying their self-image or making them feel sorry for themselves. Talk to people in a way that they never forget the excellence of your words, the love and grace of Christ that you communicated. It's how God wants us to love."

~Dr. Chris Oyakhilome

World's Longest Rivers

  1. Missouri-Mississipi (U.S.)
  2. Amazon (Brazil)
  3. Nile (Egypt)
  4. Yangtse (China)
  5. Lena (Russia)
  6. Zaire (Central Africa)
  7. Niger (West Africa)