Ruining It For Everyone?

Or just myself?

I was recently invited to Yuri's night (like the Russian name, not the Toyota car). It's this fancy event at the NASA Ames Research Center which is all about space and science and art. A few of my friend's are really into it, and when I was drunk the other night, I thought I might like to go too.

But then I read their web site:

Yuri’s Night is a celebration of space exploration—and mankind’s curiosity, scientific ingenuity, technical achievements, and spirit of collaboration that have made it all possible. This year, NASA’s 50th anniversary, the Bay Area will be home to the largest Yuri’s Night celebration ever, with 8,000 people joining astronauts, artists, scientists, engineers, and musicians to pay tribute to our global space heritage and to celebrate how much more is out there to be discovered!

...and thought about it more...I hate NASA. They pollute the environment and their projects are a waste of money. Sure, they take cool pictures but why don't we focus on saving the Earth, rather than blasting off into space where we know we can't breathe?

It would be fun to hang out in a bunker with my friends drinking expensive wine for one night, but I would probably feel really guilty for indirectly supporting the military industrial complex and condoning environmental degradation. So I can't go.

As a non-wheat eating vegetarian, I vetoed many restaurant suggestions in Vegas, leaving my hungry family to angrily inform me that I "always have to be difficult" and "ruin everything." I disagree that I ruined anything by preventing them from eating Italian food for a few nights, but still, their words haunt me.