1) During my early school years itself I had come to learn that a man named Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon on 20th July 1969. To know that such an event had really taken place even 8-9 years before I was even born is really awe-inspiring even now. Indeed it is breathtaking as well as unbelievable to know even now that a mere man in flesh and blood could really walk upon the surface of the moon. Personally I have always been fascinated by this remarkable feat of the American scientists ever since I came to know of it during my early school years. I have also heard a song wherein celebrated singer Lobo sang that everyone, from the little girl in Calcutta to the street boy in Mexico, heard that a man named Neil Armstrong walked upon the moon.
However, sometime in the early part of the year 2003, I saw a program in the History channel wherein some Russian scholars and researchers claimed that this marvelous event of 20th July 1969 never took place. These Russian scientists and scholars were of the view that no American scientist ever set foot on the moon on 20th July 1969 and that the whole episode of Neil Armstrong and his companions setting foot on the moon on this day was just totally stage-managed by the USA’s NASA. They also claimed that the materials which were said to have been brought to earth from the moon were not from the moon but were actually from somewhere in the Rocky Mountains situated within America’s border itself. These Russians further went on to claim that NASA stage-managed this drama in order to create the impression before the world that the USA is the superpower not only in the earth but also in space.
I do not know whether USA ever responded to these allegations by the Russian scientists or not. And if it had responded also, then I am not aware how the responds were made. However, I do believe that USA has enough proofs and evidences to establish the fact that Neil Armstrong and his friends really set foot on the moon on 20th July 1969.
I have always felt that if human history was not divided as BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domino), then the most appropriate date to divide human history would have been 20th July 1969,i.e, ‘Before Man Walked On The Moon’ and ‘After Man Walked On The Moon’. Indeed if a man named Jesus Christ was never born and if his life and teachings did not come to have such an influence and impact on human history, then I believe no one would have argued even if we divide human history in this manner.
2) It is also awe-inspiring to know that a simple carpenter’s son who lived in the Middle East 2000 years ago has come to have such an influence on human history. Through out the course of human history, prophets and great teachers have sprang out in different parts of the world and amassed uncountable numbers of followers through the ages. Here, the likes of Gautama Buddha, Mahavira, Mohammad, Moses, Jesus, Confuscious etc may be mentioned. However, a careful analysis of the lives of these great teachers would reveal that the life which Jesus lived is completely unique and different from the lives of the other great teachers.
Great teachers like Buddha, Mohammad or even Moses all died at a ripe age. History also tells us that these people committed many errors and it was from their errors that they finally came to reform themselves and finally became the persons they ultimately became. This tells us that these persons were just like us, i.e. learning from their mistakes.
However, the records we have, whether biblical or not, say that Jesus never committed any mistake or error in his entire life. Moreover, unlike the other great teachers, Jesus did not die an old man. He was crucified by the Roman soldiers when he was in his prime age of about 33 years. In fact it is said that Jesus began his ministry only after he had attained the age of 30 years. And therefore, if he was crucified when he was only about 33 years old, this means that his ministry lasted for only about three years. But what he said and what he did during these three years or so ultimately went on to turn the whole world upside down.
Jesus Christ was a man who never went to any school or college, who never owned any army and who never owned any land or property. But his life and teachings have remained as testimonies for generations. Many people have died for Jesus and there are still many who are prepared to lay down their lives for what Jesus had said 2000 years ago. I believe religion-founders like Buddha and Mohammad were great and dynamic personalities in their own right who were able to influence and inspire their generations in a most impressive manner. But I doubt whether anybody has ever sacrificed his or her life for them and I also wonder whether their followers today are also willing to lay down their lives for what they had said centuries ago. These are the facts that mark out Jesus apart from the other great teachers and prophets we have had down the centuries.
Down the centuries, man had always believed that might and power were swords, spears, bows and arrows, fortresses, tall and well-built soldiers etc. But it was Jesus who made us realize that there are things which are mightier and powerful than these. It was Him who made us realize that virtues like Love, Forgiveness, Repentance, Patience, Honesty, Respect, Humility etc are much more powerful, desirable and rewarding in the sight of God.
3) On the morning of 2nd May 2011, the whole world woke up to the sensational and electrifying news that the world’s most wanted man Osama Bin Laden had been killed in a military operation undertaken by US elite commandos. It was revealed to the world that Osama had been hiding and living in a well fortified compound in a town called Abottabad situated deep inside Pakistan territory. It was believed that Osama Bin Laden must have been living in this compound for at least 6 years and even before the army operation was finally undertaken in the early hours of 2nd May 2011, this compound had been under US surveillance for quite sometime. And this daring operation undertaken by the US elite commandos once again established to the world the military superiority of the USA.
Ever since it became an independent nation in 1947, Pakistan has been one of the most unstable and trouble-torn countries in the world. And Pakistan has often found itself in the news for all the wrong reasons. It is also often accused for being the base of many terrorists’ activities carried out around the world. And it is also alleged that all the world’s most wanted fugitives always find a safe haven within Pakistan territory.
The result of all these is that Pakistan is believed to be a country that has always to be on alert and vigil. Moreover, its intelligence agency, the ISI, is also believed to be one of the smartest and most effective in the world. Pakistan also boasts of being a nuclear country.
However, the US intelligence was still able to trace down Osama Bin Laden hiding deep inside Pakistan and the US elite commandos were also able to enter Pakistan territory undetected by Pakistan’s radar web and finally kill the world’s most wanted man when Pakistan was deep asleep on the morning of 2nd May 2011. What is more, the USA was able to do this despite the fact that one of Pakistan’s big military base was situated not far from where Osama had been hiding and living. And also, this most daring military operation was undertaken in the early hours of 2nd May 2011 and it was successfully winded up even before Pakistan woke up that morning.
Therefore, there may be no arguments that Pakistan and its intelligence agency, the ISI are some of the smartest things around………. but the truth still remains that the USA and the CIA are still a hundred and ten times smarter than them…….
However, sometime in the early part of the year 2003, I saw a program in the History channel wherein some Russian scholars and researchers claimed that this marvelous event of 20th July 1969 never took place. These Russian scientists and scholars were of the view that no American scientist ever set foot on the moon on 20th July 1969 and that the whole episode of Neil Armstrong and his companions setting foot on the moon on this day was just totally stage-managed by the USA’s NASA. They also claimed that the materials which were said to have been brought to earth from the moon were not from the moon but were actually from somewhere in the Rocky Mountains situated within America’s border itself. These Russians further went on to claim that NASA stage-managed this drama in order to create the impression before the world that the USA is the superpower not only in the earth but also in space.
I do not know whether USA ever responded to these allegations by the Russian scientists or not. And if it had responded also, then I am not aware how the responds were made. However, I do believe that USA has enough proofs and evidences to establish the fact that Neil Armstrong and his friends really set foot on the moon on 20th July 1969.
I have always felt that if human history was not divided as BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domino), then the most appropriate date to divide human history would have been 20th July 1969,i.e, ‘Before Man Walked On The Moon’ and ‘After Man Walked On The Moon’. Indeed if a man named Jesus Christ was never born and if his life and teachings did not come to have such an influence and impact on human history, then I believe no one would have argued even if we divide human history in this manner.
2) It is also awe-inspiring to know that a simple carpenter’s son who lived in the Middle East 2000 years ago has come to have such an influence on human history. Through out the course of human history, prophets and great teachers have sprang out in different parts of the world and amassed uncountable numbers of followers through the ages. Here, the likes of Gautama Buddha, Mahavira, Mohammad, Moses, Jesus, Confuscious etc may be mentioned. However, a careful analysis of the lives of these great teachers would reveal that the life which Jesus lived is completely unique and different from the lives of the other great teachers.
Great teachers like Buddha, Mohammad or even Moses all died at a ripe age. History also tells us that these people committed many errors and it was from their errors that they finally came to reform themselves and finally became the persons they ultimately became. This tells us that these persons were just like us, i.e. learning from their mistakes.
However, the records we have, whether biblical or not, say that Jesus never committed any mistake or error in his entire life. Moreover, unlike the other great teachers, Jesus did not die an old man. He was crucified by the Roman soldiers when he was in his prime age of about 33 years. In fact it is said that Jesus began his ministry only after he had attained the age of 30 years. And therefore, if he was crucified when he was only about 33 years old, this means that his ministry lasted for only about three years. But what he said and what he did during these three years or so ultimately went on to turn the whole world upside down.
Jesus Christ was a man who never went to any school or college, who never owned any army and who never owned any land or property. But his life and teachings have remained as testimonies for generations. Many people have died for Jesus and there are still many who are prepared to lay down their lives for what Jesus had said 2000 years ago. I believe religion-founders like Buddha and Mohammad were great and dynamic personalities in their own right who were able to influence and inspire their generations in a most impressive manner. But I doubt whether anybody has ever sacrificed his or her life for them and I also wonder whether their followers today are also willing to lay down their lives for what they had said centuries ago. These are the facts that mark out Jesus apart from the other great teachers and prophets we have had down the centuries.
Down the centuries, man had always believed that might and power were swords, spears, bows and arrows, fortresses, tall and well-built soldiers etc. But it was Jesus who made us realize that there are things which are mightier and powerful than these. It was Him who made us realize that virtues like Love, Forgiveness, Repentance, Patience, Honesty, Respect, Humility etc are much more powerful, desirable and rewarding in the sight of God.
3) On the morning of 2nd May 2011, the whole world woke up to the sensational and electrifying news that the world’s most wanted man Osama Bin Laden had been killed in a military operation undertaken by US elite commandos. It was revealed to the world that Osama had been hiding and living in a well fortified compound in a town called Abottabad situated deep inside Pakistan territory. It was believed that Osama Bin Laden must have been living in this compound for at least 6 years and even before the army operation was finally undertaken in the early hours of 2nd May 2011, this compound had been under US surveillance for quite sometime. And this daring operation undertaken by the US elite commandos once again established to the world the military superiority of the USA.
Ever since it became an independent nation in 1947, Pakistan has been one of the most unstable and trouble-torn countries in the world. And Pakistan has often found itself in the news for all the wrong reasons. It is also often accused for being the base of many terrorists’ activities carried out around the world. And it is also alleged that all the world’s most wanted fugitives always find a safe haven within Pakistan territory.
The result of all these is that Pakistan is believed to be a country that has always to be on alert and vigil. Moreover, its intelligence agency, the ISI, is also believed to be one of the smartest and most effective in the world. Pakistan also boasts of being a nuclear country.
However, the US intelligence was still able to trace down Osama Bin Laden hiding deep inside Pakistan and the US elite commandos were also able to enter Pakistan territory undetected by Pakistan’s radar web and finally kill the world’s most wanted man when Pakistan was deep asleep on the morning of 2nd May 2011. What is more, the USA was able to do this despite the fact that one of Pakistan’s big military base was situated not far from where Osama had been hiding and living. And also, this most daring military operation was undertaken in the early hours of 2nd May 2011 and it was successfully winded up even before Pakistan woke up that morning.
Therefore, there may be no arguments that Pakistan and its intelligence agency, the ISI are some of the smartest things around………. but the truth still remains that the USA and the CIA are still a hundred and ten times smarter than them…….
