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Today I read about Yuri Gagarin, the Russian Astronaut. He was actually the first man send out to outer space as opposed to Neil Armstrong the American Astronaut, whom I only knew as a child. It was a time in human history, where both Russia and America were on the space race. I guess we didn’t knew much about Yuri because Russia weren’t as close to Malaysia as America back in those time. And how America loves to paint Russian as villians, think Marvel and DC Comics. Well, that’s another topic altogether.

So imagine, back then there’s only this much we knew about outer space. And the closest reference we had was sending a dog to the outer space. Yuri was chosen among the 12 candidates to be the first man because of his calm demeanor, fast learning ability and able to carry a bright smile even in the face of pressure and backlashes. It made sense that he was the ultimate choice, as when we’re in space, there will be not enough oxygen to our brain, and if anything fail and at the brink of dying, you don’t want someone who frantically presses the wrong buttons and make stupid decisions. In such tense situation, we needed someone who still able to maintain their composure and make right decisions. Finally, Yuri became the first Astronaut to tour the space and came back in one piece. He died several years later from a jet crash, few months after that Neil Armstrong become the first man to land on moon and make waves throughout the world. Regardless, Yuri is still the pioneer, less decorated hero, who explored the unknown.

From Yuri’s story, I want to be like him. Stay calm, even in the face of adversity. Sorry customers, I may have called you stupid – sometimes 😛