Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

How we describe the impossible helps us answer the second question. And the second question is about or imperfections.

Question: Can we land persons on the moon and have them live there for a year before January 1st, 2015?
Think about the answer a moment.  Time is up.

• One answer: That is impossible.
• Another answer: I don’t know how.

I prefer the second answer. Here are some examples:

• Build a car that runs solely on solar power and has a range of 500 miles in 24 hours.
• Build a nuclear fusion reactor.
• Build a lighter-than-air ship that can stay aloft for 1,000 days while supporting the lives of ten people.

One answer to these challenges is, “that’s impossible.” Another answer is, “I don’t know how to do that (yet).”

Most people respond with, “that’s impossible.” That answer absolves me of personal responsibility. If I respond with, “I don’t know how (yet),” a second question can come. Here are a few second questions:

• Why don’t you know how? (Are you stupid?)
• When will you know how? (How slow to you learn?)
• Why am I talking to you? (You obviously aren’t worth my while.)

I hate those second questions. Most people I know also hate those questions.