While we were home this past week, there was a day when I went into the family room at the cabin and my dad was watching a documentary on the Apollo program. I sat down to watch around the time the documentary was talking about the Apollo 11 moon landing and I was intrigued. Not because I didn't know what was going to happen, obviously it happened, but because I was transported back in time. News reports, home video, recordings from inside mission control, all of it was being shown. We've all seen the video of the astronauts climbing down the ladder and heard the historic communication, but to see other aspects of the landing was...'awe inspiring' aren't the right word....maybe 'engrossing' is the right way to put it.
To see the excitement in the mission control room was amazing. To see the tears in the eyes of people standing on the street watching the landing through store front windows. To see news anchors from around the world be almost at a loss for words was something to behold. And sure, you can see a clip of it here and there, but to see it all strung together and creating a larger story brought goose bumps to my arms. What was more important, looking back, was that clips were being shown from around the world. This was not just an American accomplishment. This was an accomplishment for the world. It was an inspirational moment that brought the world together, if only for a few days.
I want to be alive for a moment like that. Not a moment to be remembered because it is a tragedy, but a moment that can inspire. A once in a lifetime moment that forty years from now, I want someone to ask me 'do you remember where you were when *fill in the blank* happened?' I want to save a newspaper showing worldwide excitement and unity. I'm just afraid that the way the world is now that it will never happen.
