Disturbed Souls and Agitated Minds

Disturbed Souls and Agitated Minds

1989 6 June 5-6 Disturbed Souls and Agitated Minds (502) Blair Fowler (b. 1921) is one of those highly qualified rocket engineers who worked in the United States on the first liquid propulsion rocket that ultimately became the, Saturn rocket with a thrust of several million pounds.

On a brief holiday in India, Mr. Fowler told a correspondent at the Taj Palace, New Delhi, that his life had now undergone a total change. At the peak of his career ten years ago, he and his wife, who also had a prosperous medical practice, simply gave up their job and money, and retired to a Californian ranch “to work with our bare hands”.

Mr. Fowler holds out his hands, now rough and also toughened by physical work like wood cutting, carpentry, blacksmithy, etc. “When I was in the rocket propulsion group, my hands had become soft through constant paper work, designing and redesigning.”

At 65, Mr. Fowler looks quite young and strong. “We do a lot of wood cutting for firewood in our home which is heated by a log fire”. There is a furnace and forge also on his ranch, where he hammers iron into shape in the way the blacksmiths used to do in days gone by.

They have left the mechanical world behind and are very happy about their simple life in the lap of nature. One reason for their adopting this way of life, in the words of Mr. Fowler, is that “as our knowledge grows, the more one gets convinced that one is ignorant.”

They had begun their journey, as they thought, in the world of knowledge, but finally they learned that with every succeeding step they were advancing towards ignorance. Human knowledge does not lead man to the reality.

Further more because of the difficulties he encountered in the development of rocketry he had no peace of mind. He and his colleagues had to work behind three foot concrete wall and lived in constant fear of explosion, as they had been working on developing the liquid hydrogen and oxygen burning rocket motor. This state of affairs was a constant source of mental tension.

They had begun their journey – as they thought – in the world of knowledge, but, finally, they learned that with every succeeding step, they were advancing towards ignorance, for human knowledge does not lead man to the ultimate reality.

Fowler, in particular, had no peace of mind because of the difficulties he encountered in rocketry development. One major source of mental tension was the nature of the hazards he and his colleagues faced. Living in constant fear of explosions, they had to work behind three-foot concrete walls, on the development of the liquid hydrogen and oxygen burning rocket motor.

The truth is that nothing and no one can bring peace of mind to mankind in the way that our Maker can. No matter how sophisticated a level of scientific or technological progress has been reached, it is still God and God alone who can bring both truth and tranquility to disturbed souls and agitated minds.