It’s been a while since astronaut Neil Armstrong passed away and was memorialized by millions of Americans and colleagues worldwide. Many will remember the work he did with NASA and for all in space exploration. Some will no doubt remember him for the work he was involved in through education. Whatever the case may be, Neil Armstrong has left an indelible mark on the pages of America’s history and the American psyche.
Flag of the United States on American astronaut Neil Armstrong’s space suit (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
While the famous lunar landing that became his initial claim to fame, I was one such American for whom had not yet been born during the time that his feet touched down on that other worldly terrain. Nevertheless, I am one for whom his triumphant journey amongst the stars, was blessed with the great capacity to dream dreams bigger than might have been possible has he not made that one small step and one giant leap.
Prior to the monumental expedition the nation was in the midst of civil unrest because of segregation and racial injustice. What the lunar mission did for both blacks and whites alike, male and female, was to foster dreams that went further than had previously been allowed or dared to be thought possible. In essence, the capacity to dream actually went from finite to infinite in the matter of a moment.
As a kid, most would dream of being fire fighters, police officers or some basic form of civil service. However, the possibilities of being a world shaker, mover, and molder have exponentially increased in the modes and means to have a meaningful and even measurable impact on the world in which we live. Our ability to have influence has broadened beyond belief. Our potential has been vastly expanded. Where things were merely the imaginings of a man named Orwell, today’s realities and tomorrow’s soon to be. If those soon to be things are that close, then what are the imaginations of today that would make Orwell think us mad?
QUESTION: To what do you credit for stretching your thinking from finite possibilities to infinity and beyond?
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