The man on a mission to single-handedly save the human race from its own destruction has just opened his one-mile-long prototype tunnel under LA. Built in response to his frustrations of “soul-destroying” congestion trying to get from his house to LAX airport, he is seeking to further revolutionise urban transportation.
Nearly every business venture or activity Musk announces I find myself asking — what Mars-based problem will this latest innovation solve? Musk has made no secret that he believes that life on Earth is doomed and without an interplanetary escape route the human race won’t survive. So Musk has committed to facilitating human migration to our nearest cosmic neighbour, suggesting that an outpost could be functioning within a decade.
The latest offering, launched with typical showmanship and futuristic bells and whistles, gives us a glimpse of Musk’s vision for the future of urban transportation. With the technology and expertise being developed by the Boring Company, Musk has speculated it could be used to build ‘infinite real estate on Mars’.
Despite his apparent Midas touch, Musk is a controversial figure. One of the most high-profile business success stories, he is often in the headlines for good or ill. The man who brought us Paypal, Tesla, SpaceX and the Boring Company, this year has also been seen smoking pot on a webcast, accused one of the Thai football team’s rescue divers of paedophilia, and was fined $20m by the US regulators for misleading investors over tweets he made in August about taking Tesla private.
I find Musk to be a fascinating cautionary tale. He show us what it looks like to have almost unlimited resources and influence, as well as the intellect to affect any change you can conceive of and yet be fearfully burdened by the seemingly hopeless future of the human race. Robert Downey Jr. reportedly based his portrayal of the superhero Iron Man on Elon Musk, yet in a TED interview Musk declared; “I’m not trying to be anyone’s saviour. I’m just trying to think about the future and not be sad”.
When I think of the future I do not feel sad. I have hope. As it says in Hebrews 11:1 ‘Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.’ Elon Musk can only go on what he sees. He sees a world that cannot survive the onslaught of carbon emission and environmental negligence. He sees the path people are on and our inability and or unwillingness to course correct. But my faith in Jesus tells me this is nothing new, we have never been able to save ourselves.
From Eden, through Babel, Egypt and Babylon and on, God has always needed to step in and rescue us from ourselves. Every year on December 25th we remember that God loves us and our world so much that He gave His only Son so that none would perish but have eternal life. At Christmas time, we are assured we do have a saviour, not Elon Musk, but God Himself. No one, not Musk or any other person has ever been able to save humanity. It’s a burden too great for any of us to bear.
Jesus bore that burden. Willingly, for us all and for ever. Jesus is the one who gives us a hope and a future. So, as we gather with friends and family, let’s think of the future not with sadness but with hope, and let’s offer that hope to all who need it at this time.
