Hello!
This is mean, but I can’t help myself. Yesterday I interviewed one of the Artemis II astronauts for “Humans”. It was the commander of the mission, actually, Reid Wiseman.
Telling you about this is mean because we have a production timeline at “Humans,” so you’ll have to wait for our upcoming episodes with two authors, Andy Weir (The Martian and Project Hail Mary) and Vicky Holmes (the creator of the Warrior Cats books) to come out first! But it is coming!
(Also, this week’s episode with Alexis Nikole Nelson is getting rave reviews, but I digress.)
I think I actually got a scoop during my interview with Reid. You know the livestream we were all watching during the mission? Turns out that was a last-minute plan and, in the moment, engineers had to figure out how to get Reid’s GoPro patched into the transmission line so that they could do the stream. THE STREAM WASN’T PART OF THE PLAN! I want to do a whole video about how big of a deal that is, but ANYWAY.
Among our very nerdy chats about exactly how the mission came together and about how few of the truly spectacular events they ended up being able to capture were actually planned, Reid told me about an idea I had never heard of called “Active followership.”
So, in a situation like Artemis, someone needs to be in charge. At the same time, if the person in charge misses something or makes a mistake, it’s not just a tragedy for the crew and their families (Reid became an only parent to his two daughters after his wife died of cancer in 2020). It would also be a tragedy for, like, all of Earth.
So you can’t have the pilot feel even the slightest bit uncomfortable speaking up if they feel the need. And, of course, who is in the leadership role is constantly flexing depending on the needs of the moment and who is trained for what, so everyone on a crew that small is constantly switching between their leadership role and the active followership role.
The very idea of “followership” is kinda new to me—that being led is a role that has responsibilities—but it also makes perfect sense that those responsibilities flow up.
I’ve found myself in leadership a lot in my life, perhaps more than I expected or intended, and I see these ideas reflected in healthy organizations. It’s not about there not being leaders; it’s about leadership being a role that people undertake, rather than a mandate given.
Good stuff,
Hank
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This Week in Stuff
Turtle Conservancy celebrated 250 million years of turtles. (Instagram)
What would a rainbow look like if we had two Suns? (YouTube)
If you’re a dog lover, NYC has the perfect museum for you AND your pup. (TikTok)
You can prove that a picture really is worth 1000 words by entering a writing contest. (quarter--mile.com/1picture1000words)
Neil the Seal is wreaking havoc in Tasmania (and all over the internet) once again. (YouTube)
Please send us stuff you think we should feature to [email protected]
This Week at Complexly
Why are there no wild cows? The domestication of the dog didn’t lead to the extinction of the wolf. But the ancestor of domestic cattle, the aurochs, is extinct. In this deep dive, we examine whether we can de-extinct it—and the surprisingly good reason why we should.
Treehoppers are insects that live on trees and are good at jumping. They are also known for the incredibly weird shapes that come out of their backs, which make them look like everything from tree thorns to tiny helicopters. Some of these adaptations might be for a very special kind of almost-metaphysical sensory perception.
Some Games to Play!
Smush (by John Green)
4×3 (by Hank Green)
Spellcheck (by Answer in Progress)
This Gubbins postcard was made by Sarah. Send yours to [email protected]
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Things that make us optimistic
Last week, we asked what makes you optimistic about the future. Thank you to everyone who shared what makes you feel a little less negative about our world and what it might be like in the years to come.
Something that always makes me feel optimistic is this Mary Oliver quote: “It is a serious thing/ just to be alive/ on this fresh morning/ in this broken world.” It reminds me that the world has always been broken in some ways, for all of history. And even though things may feel particularly messed up right now, we still have the honor of waking up every fresh morning to meet the day, and we get to experience that joy every day of our lives.
I have depression and it can be hard to be optimistic about the future. The biggest thing that keeps me going is imagining how many cats I have yet to meet. I have two rescue cats whom I adore and I hope to rescue many more animals in my life. So many friends to meet!
I got involved in local politics. It wasn't even that hard (most people don't pay much attention to municipal politics), and now I get to make decisions that directly shape the future of my community. I'm at the end of my first term in office, and I can point to things that exist today only because I asked for them. We're building a sustainability plan, affordable housing, and more, because I said we should and others agreed. If I'd stayed focused on federal politics, I never would have had the chance to build my own community's future like this. The future is something we all build today, either by our action or our inaction, and the most impact we can have for our action is locally.
Studying history has made me optimistic for the future. The past is filled with horrific events, but it is also filled with consistent betterment. Most of my optimism comes from this consistent resilience we have as a species. Even after awful things happen in history, we mange to keep pushing through. I hope that one day our future generations won’t have to worry about the bad things we do today, the same way we don’t have to worry about some of the things our ancestors would worry about.
I'm always optimistic when I see the throngs of children having the best time at the library. It reminds me why I do what I do and that there is so much joy and curiosity to embrace in this world that often feels overwhelming. There's always some kid finding their new favorite book, learning a new skill, or just playing their hearts out, and it's wonderful to see.
As someone who loves to go to the cinema (I go almost every weekend), it has been really great to see the success of young creators at the box office this year. The success of Obsession, Backrooms, and Iron Lung this year, which all came from YouTubers turned directors, is showing the value of letting young creators express their creativity. My hope is that the success of these films leads to more creators from video platforms being given the opportunity to make passion projects.
Humanity having such strong appreciation for and excitement about art has me optimistic for the future. Going to Art Festivals this summer and seeing people from all walks of life connecting over works made for humans by humans, crowds singing their hearts out at concerts, walking into theaters and feeling that buzz of excitement before a movie or play, just a bunch of people feeling and expressing themselves through creating or taking in art. Through the chaos and uncertainty of the state of the world, people still strongly crave art and the soul and connection that comes from said art. That gives me so so much hope.
Almost counter intuitively, something that makes me optimistic about the future is people’s fear of change. All throughout history and my own life I have seen people push back against change and progress. Nevertheless, things continue to change and almost always for the better. So, as long as there is outcry against the current change in the world, I feel like we’re probably headed in the right direction.
One reason I'm optimistic about the future is my students. I have found them to be kind and funny and considerate. They care about each other and how each other is doing. They also don't shy away from some tough love when someone is making a poor choice. While not all of them fit this description, the majority of them do. And these are high school students! They make me hopeful that things will be okay so long as we keep working.
Frankly, things like this newsletter give me hope for the future. Seeing all of the little instances of goodness and how many people truly care about each other and love spreading joy is wonderful. If things like this resonate with as many people as it seems to, that makes me optimistic that we can successfully sail this ship through the rough seas ahead.
In honor of Alexis Nikole Nelson’s Humans episode, find a plant that catches your eye and try to identify it. Send us a photo and tell us about your plant!
Send your plant to [email protected].
P.S. There will be no new We’re Here next week!
