Sacred purpose or desecration?
Sacred purpose or desecration?
The discussions, both rational and emotional, continue over whether or not to allow construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea.
The chief argument against construction is the “desecration of our sacred land.” The legal definition of desecrate is “To harm or insult a sacred thing.” The TMT is not a T-shirt shop or a casino or any other type of commercial operation. TMT’s purpose is a potential benefit for all of mankind.
Our Earth is home to many different religions, more than 4,300. Christianity alone has 34,000 separate identified groups. As such, there are many definitions of the word sacred. One common definition is “reverently dedicated to some person, purpose or object. “
I have to count myself among those who believe that man’s search back toward the beginning of time is truly a sacred quest. Who would argue against a continuing search for the understanding of where we and our magical universe originated to the limits of our human senses and technology? There is no other location in our world equal to Mauna Kea to conduct this search. This alone makes it a sacred location.
I acknowledge, and do not disrespect, the feelings of those opposed to TMT on cultural and religious grounds, even though the construction of TMT will be accompanied by the removal of multiple offending structures. This seems like a net gain to me.
I would like to suggest to many in opposition to TMT, that their ancestors did not have the same attitudes toward science, exploration, and the extension of man’s knowledge. They would be puzzled at the campaign against exploring the mysteries of the heavens. If the ancient Hawaiians had the same attitudes as those in opposition to TMT, on Jan. 17, 1779, Capt. James Cook would have dropped anchor in a beautiful bay on the western shore of an uninhabited island.
Bill Cliff
Kailua-Kona