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Larry Little| Columnist

Recently a friend of mine told me that he was in the fifth grade in 1999 at the now-closed Olympic View Elementary School in Bremerton when he helped a man from NASA move a miniature prototype of what is now the launched James Webb telescope from one school to another. My friend was in awe then. He remains a fan.

So am I.

There is something mind-stretching about a telescope 100 times greater than Hubble launched on Christmas Day that will be looking deep into space from a stationary orbit a million miles away from home. The James Webb telescope will not just be looking, it will be searching for some very distant friends of ours. I think they are not only there; but may well be seeking us as well. Some have called the James Webb telescope a time machine because it will be looking at what is long since gone, catching light from civilizations perhaps millions of years extinct.

We have a risk of extinction today. Perhaps climate change or nuclear war or something else will smother us, drown us or bake us. But our baby steps to address those challenges will remain just that inadequate and thus ineffective until we recognize that more fundamental issues prevent us from working together on life-terminating challenges.

As an example of those challenges, if we look real closely at the current saga of a Chinese tennis star who once accused a high-ranking party member of rape, we can see a glimmer of at least two issues standing in our way of collectively working on our future: a fight to the death between democracy and totalitarianism, and the unresolved age-old instincts of men versus those of women.

I wish Peng Shuai well, but fear for her and millions of others in captive situations at home and around the world. And for us, if we dont look deep like the James Webb telescope, but much closer to home.

Lets look for more evidence of gender challenges inhibiting our future beyond our 50% divorce rate.

One way to start that vital search is by looking at four other events that were in the news on or around our most recent Christmas Day. One offers a pathway; the others more challenges.

Lets start with one of my favorite public personages, Queen Elizabeth II. This Christmas she spoke with words that likely resonate with so many of us, and certainly for me:

"Although its a time of great happiness and good cheer for many, Christmas can be hard for those who have lost loved ones. This year, especially, I understand why…But for me, in the months since the death of my beloved Phillip [after 73 years of marriage] I have drawn great comfort from the warmth and affection of the many tributes to his life and work…His sense of service, intellectual curiosity and capacity to squeeze fun out of any situation were all irresistible. That mischievous, enquiring twinkle was as bright at the end as when I first set eyes on him."

To me, thats enduring love and a wonderful living example of the best of Christmas. If we can take her words to heart and aspire to live them for our lifes legacy, we will advance the potential, and even the survival, of our civilization.

The other recent news stories are far more nuanced, and sobering.

Lets look first at the stories of former police officer Kim Potter and truck driver Rogel Aguilera-Mederos.

Potter was a veteran police officer training a rookie by conducting a traffic stop. She apparently mistakenly shot the man they stopped instead of the appropriate tasering. She was convicted of both first- and second-degree manslaughter. Her sentencing is pending.

Rogel Aguilera-Mederos was convicted and then sentenced to 110 years in prison for what also appears to be a largely accidental act. He chose to continue down a slope rather than crash and potentially kill himself, after his truck brakes failed, resulting in a crash that killed four people.

Looking deeper than the technicalities at the extraordinarily long sentence given the man who made a mistake, and the likely short sentence for the woman who made a not so dissimilar mistake, a question should be obvious.

Couple that question with the fact that 93% of those in American prisons are men, and something else should be obvious: we have ignored a fundamental issue for way too long.

Examining that fundamental issue, with all of its complexities, becomes even more of an imperative when one mixes in the very recent Ghislaine Maxwell verdict of facilitating and participating in the sexual abuse of children

As the new year beacons, we should embrace what the James Webb telescope might see, what Queen Elizabeth has seen, and what we should see in stories such as that of a police officer, a truck driver, and a predator.

Happy New Year!

Contact Larry Little at larrylittle46@gmail.com.

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The time of year we're reminded to look deeply - Kitsap Sun