Where were you in the summer of 1969? I was just a couple months shy of turning 10. My family and I were living in Illinois at Scott Air Force Base where my step-father was stationed. I remember that summer as being really hot and humid, though not unusual for the area. Most of my lazy summers were spent outdoors with my friends playing any number of games.
But not that summer. The parks and playgrounds were deserted and all was quiet. Instead, we were all glued to our televisions watching the drama unfold there. We were enthralled with the moon landing. I watched every minute of it, fascinated by the three men in that tiny capsule who traveled through the vast darkness. Watching Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin step from the lunar module to the moon's surface, I felt we were creating a new world, where interstellar travel and meeting actual alien races would be commonplace.
My new world looked like a combination of Star Trek and the Jetsons, shows that I loved back then. I couldn't wait for a world where we traveled to other worlds. Back on Earth we would have flying cars and live in apartments in the sky. Yes, I was an impressionable lad.
Fifty years later, we seem to have gone backwards in many ways. Yes, we have smart phones, smart cars, smart appliances, and even smart homes. But we don't have many of the other things we envisioned in 1969.
Instead, we have kids eating Tide Pods. We have anti-vaxxers that are bringing back measles and other diseases that were eradicated years ago. We have people trotting out their intentional ignorance and pretending it's as good as others' knowledge and education. Racism and xenophobia are back with a vengeance. Kids are in concentration camps on our southern border. Racist and homophobic attacks are commonplace and increasing daily. The similarities between 1930s Germany are astounding. And nobody seems to care.
We have a Congress that refuses to call out the criminal activities of the administration or even open inquiries into impeachment, something that desperately needs to be done. I believe that 2020 is our absolute last chance to save this once-great nation. Sadly, I don't see that happening.
Can we please go back to 1969?
