#BlogchatterBlogHop – Would you rather visit the moon or Mars?

The moon has always called out to me. I recall camping on my terrace with friends as a child and gazing upon the moon from inside my makeshift tent. I recall writing an essay on the cosmos and drawing upon my knowledge of Colin A. Ronan’s ‘The Skywatcher’s handbook’ and including a few lines about the moon. I remember Moonface from Enid Blyton’s The Magic Faraway Tree. And how can I forget the Tintin comics ‘Destination Moon’ and ‘Explorers on the moon’ that I read as a child and re-read in my adolescence? Or staying up and watching the sky for the comet Hyakutake when I was in college and gazing upon the moon from my friend’s terrace.

The moon reminds me of Luna Lovegood from the Harry Potter books. The moon also reminds me of some anthologies that are being sent there as time capsules. It brings to mind Sharanya Manivannan’s book ‘Mermaids in the Moonlight,’ which is filled with fabulous fables, myths and legends by the author who creates powerful imagery through her words and verse.

I associate the moon with quirkiness, coolness and calmness. Interestingly, it’s a place that man has landed on earlier. As far back as 1969. That’s enough to give it an aura of familiarity when compared with aggressive red planet Mars- the planet that is supposedly where men are from if one is to go by ‘Men are from Mars and women are from Venus’ by John Gray, which I read as while doing my Masters’ degree.  

With so many things going for the moon at least in my head, how does Mars stand a chance? If I were to draw up a list of pros and cons for the moon vs. mars, the moon would win hands down. Mars couldn’t hold a candle to the moon!

So, go ahead, present me with the voting button and let me press the one for the moon…who knows? Maybe it will propel me to the moon one day. If not, I will have to get there on the wings of my imagination?

This post is a part of Blogchatter Blog Hop.