In July 1969, when man stepped on the moon for the first time, the whole world watched this moment with astonishment. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the surface of the moon. But while history celebrates this moonwalk, very few people know about a life-or-death crisis that followed. When both astronauts returned to the lunar module and were planning to sleep for a while, Aldrin saw something that woke both of them up. There was a small black circuit-breaker switch lying on the cabin floor. Neither of them knew whose fault it was that it broke. The same small switch controlled the engine, which could fly the lunar module from the moon. Could not return to earth without him. Instead of wasting time trying to figure out who was at fault, he immediately notified Mission Control in Houston and asked for help. It was impossible to sleep during this extremely stressful night. Both were constantly looking for solutions. The next morning Mission Control bluntly said they could not help. Aldrin then began searching for something in the lunar module that would hit the correct location of the pointer behind the broken circuit-breaker, and allow electric current to pass. Since it was an electric circuit, he didn’t dare use a finger or anything with a metal tip. Then Aldrin remembered a felt-tip pen, which he kept in his ‘personal preference kit’. Each astronaut could carry this small collection of personal items. Very carefully he pressed the plastic tip of the pen onto the pointer behind the broken switch of that circuit-breaker. Aldrin later wrote in his autobiography, ‘I very carefully pressed the pen on the engine-arm circuit-breaker. Slowly reduced the pressure of the hand and removed the tip of the pen. Ultimately the pen worked. The circuit-breaker had stopped in place. The engine started. Apollo 11 flew and brought the astronauts safely to Earth. Why am I remembering this incident of 1969 today? Because this week, that pen was auctioned in New York at a price of more than 8.50 lakh dollars i.e. 8.18 crore rupees. That pen was not valuable because of its ink. He became precious because at a very important moment he did what was not expected of him. I was reminded of this story as I was cleaning out my old suitcase this week. Beneath the faded papers and forgotten objects were found dozens of ordinary objects, each with its own extraordinary memory. None of them would fetch a high price at auction, but each reminded me of a person, a struggle, a celebration or a turning point in life. I realized that every family has its own ‘felt-tip pen’ story. It could be grandfather’s old walking stick, with the help of which he continued his daily walk despite his declining health. Could be the family’s first engineer’s notebook. There could be a sewing machine, with the help of which three generations were able to study. Could be a rusty toolbox that made someone’s livelihood. Or a pressure cooker, which fed the family during the years of hardship. The market price of these things may be very low, but their emotional value is priceless. They are silent witnesses of perseverance, sacrifice, wisdom and hope. Our children may inherit our homes, investments and jewellery, but it is often these simple things that form the family identity. Their true value lies not in the material they are made from, but in the stories they preserve. These simple souvenirs can remind future generations that even great challenges can be overcome with simple tools, extraordinary intelligence, and the spirit of never giving up. The idea is that before throwing away ordinary things in the name of de-cluttering, stop and ask yourself, ‘What story does this thing store?’ You may have a family heirloom whose extraordinary value lies not in its market value, but in the inspiration it provides.
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N. Raghuraman’s Column: Before throwing things away, ask yourself what story they hold
