Elon Musk: the try-hard who may be our only hope

Elon Musk, whether revered or criticized, has emerged as one of the most influential figures of our time. Rising to prominence with SpaceX’s historic 2012 launch, Musk sent the first commercial vehicle to the International Space Station. Now, he owns companies that epitomize innovation, including Tesla, The Boring Company and Neuralink.

While Musk’s pursuits are diverse in nature — from combating climate change to colonizing Mars — they share a common focus: advancing humanity. Musk has undoubtedly earned the recognition he receives, as his unwavering commitment to our future is saving humankind.

In an interview with American media personality Joe Rogan, Musk emphasized the urgency of transitioning to sustainable energy, recognizing the finite nature of fossil fuels and the catastrophe of climate change. According to The Guardian, Musk is “single-handedly tackling the climate crisis one Tesla at a time, helping to forge a clean energy future and pushing for new taxes to drive down fossil fuel use.” 

Turning to the sky, Musk is set to “get to Mars before [he] die[s],” according to Walter Isaacson’s 2023 biography “Elon Musk.” 

“There’s no forcing function for getting us to Mars other than us, and sometimes that means me,” Musk said. 

However, despite the exciting possibilities of Musk’s dedication to innovation, the obsessive way he pursues such goals has garnered him an alarming level of glorification and power.

“There’s a simple answer, which is yes, [Musk] does have too much power,” Isaacson said on Bari Weiss’ podcast.

What Musk is doing for humanity is incredible, but he tends to show signs of having a superiority complex — at times, even a savior complex. His constant feeling of obligation to be the one to save the world is almost narcissistic. He’ll be the one to single-handedly “fix” fossil fuels; he’ll be the master of Mars. 

Issacson’s account sums it up like this: Musk is “maniacally focused” on saving humanity, no matter the costs. 

Having a person with such excessive power and great overconfidence can only lead one to wonder about the consequences of placing humanity’s future in the hands of a single ambitious man. This ambition may lead Musk to ruin; humanity may never be saved.

But what matters now is he’s trying. He is dedicating his whole life to this cause — and putting everything else in it aside — to save the human race.