The Voyager is a weekly newsletter where I, Karn Nahata, share with you the discoveries I made on my voyage through the Internet. Sit back, grab something to eat, and enjoy the ride :)
Make Good Art
Neil Gaiman is one of the greatest living post-modern writers. Having written fantasies, science fiction, and horror stories in the form of novels, comics, children’s books, picture books, short stories, poems, and movie scripts - his career is unusually prolific. He also holds the title of being one of my favourite humans.
In 2012, Neil addressed the graduating class of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. In this timeless commencement speech, Neil talks about his own journey from being a kid with no writing experience to becoming the writer he always desired to be. He reflects back on his remarkable ride, sharing his six biggest learnings, all of which culminate in three small words, that stitched together hold a deep meaning - “Make Good Art”.
This week marks the beginning of a new journey in my own life. I finally move on to chase bigger dreams, hanging up my boots at the job that was my life for the last two years. I finally move on to Make Good Art. Or at least try to. To climb the mountains that are my goals. Neil's words hit me especially hard. His speech felt like a personal note just for me.
You can read the speech here. Or you can watch Neil at his best, delivering it -
Also, a small self note I wrote the day I finally decided to take the leap and quit my job :)
The Afronauts
October 1964. Height of the Cold War. The United States of America and the Soviet Union, locked in an intense battle to win the race to the Moon.
While the entire world was busy being enamored by the much-talked-about Space War between these two superpowers, this was also the time when a small country in the South of Africa, Zambia, gained its independence from the British. Within a week of its independence, Zambia also had its own Space Program. The mission was Moon, and then Mars. Edward Mukuka Nkoloso, a school science teacher and the director of Zambia’s National Academy of Science, Space Research and Philosophy had a plan to beat the U.S.A. and the Soviet Union. It is a bizarre story of a man from a marginalized nation with unbounded dreams.
Always seen sporting a helmet and a cape, Nkoloso had a team of a dozen teenage astronauts. The Space Flight training program involved these astronauts or - afronauts, as they called themselves - jumping barefoot, rolling down hills in drum barrels. Zambia being a poor country, Nkoloso needed to figure out a way to fund these crazy dreams. So, he approached both the US & the Soviet Union for funds in exchange for his “secret technology”, which he believed was far more superior than anything these countries had. The US & Soviet Union obviously did not pay heed to Nkoloso, leading to the Afronaut program’s ultimate demise.
While much of the popular narrative paints a very trivial picture of Nkoloso, and maybe deservedly so, one can also choose to see it as a tale of an eccentric but determined man, with a lot of self-belief, trying his best to reach for the stars. Today, Nkoloso is celebrated as an icon of “Afrofuturism” - an intersection of the African diaspora culture and technology.
Due to the marvel that is the Internet, you can see this rare footage of Nkoloso giving an interview to an English reporter -
Choosing Adventure
Jedidiah quit a job that he loved to ride his bicycle from Oregon, USA to the tip of South America, a 7000-mile journey. In this beautifully shot video, he talks about why he did it. He talks about our relationship as humans with time and how it changes as we move ahead in life. He talks about the need to live every moment. The need to be infinite for the short blip that we are here.
Until next Sunday.
Hey there. Thanks for reading. Would love any feedback you might have for me. Also, any discoveries you made on the Internet that meant something to you. Drop an email and let me know :)
This is beautiful. All the pieces of this edition held a sense of motivation and a deep sense of belief in our capability to reach for the stars. Only if we dare to dream. Just the kind of message I needed right now. Thank you :)
All the best, Karn. Explore, enjoy and do what your heart tells you. I am enjoying the ride in The Voyager and already looking forward to the next one.