Nothing ever is achieved in this world without enthusiasm. Man developed through keenness to know the reason behind every happening. From basic doubts such as “Why there are seasons? Why the apple falls downwards?” to complicated ones like “Why a superficial cut over the skin hurts more than a deep cut? Can butterflies hold rain drops on their wings and if not, what happens to them when it rains? Why do mosquitoes seem to like some people more than others ?” made humans think and develop logic.
Children have unending doubts. Parents should lay foundation for their insight by patiently answering them. Here is beautiful example. A child asked his father, “Why do we itch?” His father didn’t know the reason but went through books and Internet and found the answer.
The itch philosophy
The sensory receptors just below the surface of the skin send itch messages to the brain.
They flow along the same pathways of the nervous system as pain sensations. Itching has no obvious cause and is not associated with any accompanying illness, but can be an early symptom of illnesses like diabetes and Hodgkin’s disease.
People are more than willing to scratch the skin and suffer the bleeding pain rather than tolerating the itch.
Then the boy asked his father how astronauts scratch an itch when they have space suits on. The father tried again with books and Internet but this time could not find a correct answer. He did not leave it there, wrote letters to five astronauts and surprisingly all of them responded.
Wendy Lawrence, who flew a shuttle flight on a 16-day mission replied that a LES suit certainly ‘conspired’ to foil an itch but an astronaut needed to wear it only three times: upon launch, at re-entry and during space walk. Glen Lutz, designer of space suits said that a V-shaped object called a Valsalva device that relieves ear aches created by air pressure changes can be used.
William Pogue, an ex-astronaut wrote, “Not only did my nose itch occasionally but also my ears. We had to just tolerate it. I usually tried rubbing my nose against the helmet but it didn’t help much. The best thing was to think something else.” The father and son reciprocated and sent him a thanks letter. Realising people’s enthusiasm about astronauts, William Pogue wrote a funny but informative book, “How do you go to the bathroom in space?” In the forward he says, “Knowledge is the power, but enthusiasm is its switch”.
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