Elon Musk, the Modern Day Noah
Elon Musk’s ambition to ensure humanity’s future through space exploration and sustainable energy solutions is reminiscent of the biblical tale of Noah building the ark.
His trailblazing innovations and companies include Tesla, Solar City, Optimus Robotics, Neuralink Brain Interfaces, Hyperloop High-Speed Transportation, The Boring Company, X (formerly Twitter), xAI, and SpaceX. Walter Isaacson’s biography, “Elon Musk,” provides an invaluable perspective on this central figure and leading innovator of our era.
From environment-saving electric vehicles and solar energy to automating and augmenting human abilities with robotics, artificial intelligence, and embedded brain-computer interfaces, advances in urban development with advanced transportation and construction, creating an “everything app” and ensuring freedom of speech, and most importantly, space travel and planetary colonization, Elon Musk is pioneering technological advances and our future like no one else.
But so what—what does this have to do with Noah and saving the world?
If you remember, G-d came to Noah and told him about the impending end of the world and that Noah needed to build an ark to save them and “keep them alive,” and G-d instructed Noah how to do this as it says (Genesis 6:22):
Noah did according to all that G-d had commanded him; so did he.
Certainly, Noah by himself would not have known of the coming destruction of civilization, nor would he have been able to build an ark to save his family and all the animals, birds, and insects. This was a feat beyond imagination for any man to undertake and execute. But G-d was able to not only inspire Noah to take on this enormous task but also to know how to do it successfully.
Elon Musk is driven by a Divine purpose: to save humanity and human consciousness. He aims to create a sustainable life on Earth through electric vehicles, solar energy, robotics, and AI. His primary goal is to enable human exploration and colonization of Mars to ensure long-term survival. Musk is obsessed with innovation, building reusable rockets and spaceships, and creating a habitable planetary environment. His vision is to create a colony on Mars by 2050 with a city housing a million people, a divine goal not primarily profit-driven but aimed at the survival of the species.
Fueled by an unwavering drive, Musk’s relentless work ethic borders on obsession. His signature near-trance states of contemplation are fueled by a desire to shatter paradigms and push boundaries, particularly in his endeavors with SpaceX. In this sense, Musk’s Starship can be seen as a modern-day Ark, carrying humanity to a new Earth – Mars – after the metaphorical floodwaters of destruction recede. His unwavering dedication and divine-like spirit echo Noah’s mission, driven to save us from the unimaginable.
There is another place in the Torah where we learn about G-d instilling His wisdom and spirit in someone to do an enormous job, and that is with Bezalel, son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, who built the holy tabernacle, as it says (Exodus 31:3):
And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge, and with all kinds of skills.
Gifted individuals, whether in science, music, art, or other domains, have always been present throughout history, seemingly blessed with inexplicable talents. Their remarkable contributions have driven human progress forward along paths that appear to align with a grander design, suggesting a divine plan for humanity.
Similarly, while acknowledging the influence of his upbringing on Elon Musk’s journey, his extraordinary talents and gifts, exceeding those of most individuals, seem divinely inspired.
The current global situation, with escalating tensions and the ever-present threat of weapons of mass destruction in the hands of rogue nations and their terrorist proxies, has plunged the world into a state of heightened anxiety. Our fears extend beyond the immediate threats to democratic values, human rights, and freedom, encompassing the very survival of humanity. In this precarious scenario, while Elon Musk may not realize it, his vision and ambition place him in the role of a modern-day Noah, potentially guiding us away from the precipice of annihilation.