 What is not a lesson Giles learned?
Giles made the expected comments, smiled the proper smiles and greeted his staff by the right names, but it was purely automatic. But with the Procyon shuttle arriving yesterday, there was no telling what might turn up. For eighty years now, they’d been sending out the little ships that vanished at greater than the speed of light, equipped with every conceivable device to make them return automatically after taking pictures of wherever they arrived. Only his youngest son would have sent an elaborate tercentenary greeting verse—one that would arrive ninety years too late! It had been the bitter quarrels over that which had finally broken Giles’ fifth marriage. GILES SNORTED and turned to the third frame, which showed a group picture of the family in some sort of vehicle, against the background of an alien but attractive world. He had no desire to spend ninety years cooped up with a bunch of callow young emigrants, even in one of the improved Exodus shuttles. The discovery that men could live practically forever had put an end to most family ties; sentiment wore thin in half a century—which wasn’t much time now, though it had once seemed long enough. Earth was becoming a backwater world; no real progress had been made in two centuries; the young men were sent out as soon as their first fifty years of education were finished, and the older men were too conservative for really new thinking. Pre-setting a course may take centuries, if we can ever master it. Even with Sirius expecting the missiles and ready to cooperate. We can’t put human pilots into a ship with our drive until we’ve tested it more thoroughly, Bill, even if they could correct for errors on arrival. Mr. Giles, we’ve got to have the big ship. Heroism had belonged to those who knew their days were numbered, anyhow. Giles turned from the blank screen to stare out of the windows, while his hand came up to twist at the lock of hair over his forehead. Usually it was too easy to realize that, and the sight of the solid, time-enduring buildings outside should have given him a sense of security. Like an automaton, he bent forward, his other hand groping for the mirror that should be in one of the drawers. It was only two blocks to Giles’ residence club, but he had to stop twice to catch his breath and fight against the pain that clawed at his chest. Dubbins was at his side almost at once, with a hand under his arm to guide him toward his suite.
 Enjoying your job makes life worth living
 All good things come to an end  Enjoying your job makes life worth living  Never take life for granted  Family is an important part of life