May Moon Be Our Friend and Companion!

 

International Moon Day 2024 / 20 July / Article

May Moon Be Our Friend and Companion!

Fr Dr M. D. Thomas

Director, Institute of Harmony and Peace Studies, New Delhi

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The 20th day of July is designated as ‘International Moon Day’ by the United Nations. The General Assembly declared the day in its resolution 76/76 on “International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space” in 2021.

 

Celebrating the achievements of all States in the exploration of the Moon was the purpose of the day. Raising public awareness about sustainable Moon exploration and utilization was also part of the objective.

 

International Moon Day marks the anniversary of the first landing by humans on the Moon as part of the Apollo 11 lunar mission. It commemorates the day man first walked on the moon in 1969.

 

NASA reported the moon landing as being “...the single greatest technological achievement of all time.” This global celebration will serve not only as a reminder of success in the past, but as an annual testimony to future endeavours.

 

For thousands of years, human civilizations have looked up to the sky pondering the origin and mysteries of the Moon, our only natural satellite. Ground-based observations enabled by the invention of the first telescopes opened a new chapter in our understanding of our celestial companion.

 

With the birth of space activities, the Moon became the ultimate destination of countless missions, including crewed flights that brought the first human footprints to another place in the universe.

 

From the very beginning of the Space Age, the United Nations recognized that outer space added a new dimension to humanity’s existence. The United Nations family strives continuously to utilize the unique benefits of outer space for the betterment of all humankind.

 

On 10 October 1967, the "Magna Carta of Space", also known as the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies entered into force.


Moon is the object that shines in the sky at night and that moves around the earth once every 28 days or four weeks, the large round object that circles the Earth and that shines at night by reflecting light from the sun. As it does so its appearance changes from a circle to part of a circle.

 

The moon that we see almost every night is a natural satellite of the Earth. This means that the moon revolves around the earth on a regular path. The gravitational attraction between the earth and the natural satellite holds it in its orbit even as the moon revolves around the earth.

 

The moon here symbolizes the love in a comfortable and joyful life. In spite of their prolonged separation, their lasting love grows bigger and bigger, again, like the moon waxing. And, their hearts are full of love, like a full moon. Their constant love brings them a strong tie deep inside.

 

The phase of the moon represents completion, fertility, abundance, and transformation, when the seeds from the new moon come into bloom. Because the moon is directly opposite the sun during this phase, it can also be a time of friction, polarity, and more-intense emotional energy.

 

The word moon can be traced to the word mōna, an Old English word from medieval times. Mōna shares its origins with the Latin words metri, which means to measure, and mensis, which means month. So, we see that the moon is called the moon because it is used to measure the months.

Of course, there are many other words for Moon in many other languages. Luna, tungi, kuu, hli, cap, yoreh, maan, mwezi, bulan, marama, ay, and more and more. Luna was also a goddess, one among the many deities who have represented the Moon over time.

The moon is Earth’s only natural satellite. The moon is beautiful and marvellous to look at. Anyone would appreciate and enjoy its cool light. The temperature on the moon fluctuates between +200 to -200 degrees Celsius. Moon is approximately 4.53 billion old.

 

Waxing and waning, the moon is a sign of constant change. It symbolizes nature, its blind and driven forces, the passing and return of its seasons. Transposed into the human realm, this image pinpoints moral instability, the changing heart, the gullible mind, and our frequently vacillating resolve.

 

During the full moon, all of your emotions, both positive and negative, are likely to be strengthened. It is a time of extremes, excitement and fruition, when some of your plans fall into place. “This is truly a time of romance and enchantment.”

A lot of poetic imaginations have been on and around moon. Moon has been the friend of one and all and the popular uncle of children. The relational approach makes moon a constant friend and universal companion of the humans. Moon awakens imagination and inspiration as well as curiosity and research.

 

On the occasion of ‘International Moon Day 2024’, let us consider moon a friend and a companion anew as well as a source of eternal curiosity and inspiration. Hail Moon Day!

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The author is Director, Institute of Harmony and Peace Studies, New Delhi, and has been committed to education, cross-cultural perspectives, cross-scriptural values, constitutional values, interfaith relations, social ethics, communal harmony, national integration and social wellbeing, for the past nearly 45 years. He contributes to the above cause through lectures, articles, video messages, conferences, social interactions, views at TV channels, and the like.

He could be viewed, listened to and contacted at the following portals – websites ‘www.mdthomas.in’ (p), ‘https://mdthomas.academia.edu’ (p), ‘https://drmdthomas.blogspot.com’(p) and ‘www.ihpsindia.org’ (o); social media ‘https://www.youtube.com/InstituteofHarmonyandPeaceStudies’ (o), ‘https://twitter.com/mdthomas53’ (p), ‘https://www.facebook.com/mdthomas53’ (p); email ‘mdthomas53@gmail.com’ (p) and telephone 9810535378 (p).

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