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To the moon

Cody has been a sports reporter and writer for ten years. His inspiration and motivation have come from all walks of life, including his own. He can be reached at codyjelms@gmail.com.

September has seen it’s fair share of historical events during our nations short lifespan. The Mayflower departed Plymouth, England in 1620, the U.S.A. or United Colonies/United States name was created in 1776, Theodore Roosevelt took over the Presidency in 1901 after William McKinley died from an assassination attempt, Hitler invaded Poland setting off WW2 in 1939, the passing of Mother Teresa of Calcutta in 1997, and the most recent tragedy 17 years ago with the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

However, there is a historical moment that, despite the steep competition, has always resonated with me as not just a pinnacle point in time, but more so as the very definition of who we are as Americans from large cities to small towns. The 1962 Moon Speech given by then-President John F. Kennedy at Rice University’s football stadium in front of approximately 40,000 people.

On that warm and sunny September 12th day, President Kennedy laid out the aspirations for his administration’s goal of sending an American to the moon. But the goal wasn’t to just be the first American, but rather the first human to set foot on the lunar surface. Yet, despite the opportunistic and nationalistic goal of out-maneuvering the Soviet Space program, of which they were already trailing at the time, there were still many Americans asking, “why?”

Throughout his speech, that explained the urgency, the science, and the financial impact, Kennedy littered in lines of motivation and encouragement, but also words that, at the time, he nor anyone else would have known would carry so much weight and representation of not just American spirit, but of humanity itself.

We hear people ask why all the time. Whether it is a boss, companion, or especially in my personal experience, a child. Regardless of whom is asking, the answer many times is the same; simply because.

Because we have the ability and the opportunity to take chances. We have the responsibility to push the limits of the world around us.

In his speech, Kennedy responds to the hypothetically predictable why’s in a similar fashion.

“We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard…”

Then, now, and forever, we will be a people of “because we can”.

Our nation was founded on the very idea of believing in ourselves, as a collective people, to control our own destiny by not just pushing boundaries, but rather breaking down barriers and exploring new concepts and philosophies.

Over time, as the people of our past moved westward, our local towns and cities were established one by one. The founders of our communities didn’t have some strange fascination with the exact coordinates of our location, but rather they saw an opportunity with what the land had to offer. They took it upon themselves to make the growth of northwestern Pennsylvania their responsibility. That was their why.

By now, you’re probably wondering what exactly the purpose of this history lesson is.

I believe America in 2018 is not all that different than that of 1962 or even 1776. I don’t particularly mean the ideologies of the time periods but more so the spirit of the people.

We are not fighting to free ourselves from British control in present-day America, but there are people currently fighting for freedom from the lingering throwback prejudicial mentality of prior generations. We are not in the midst of a space race, even though exploration has reached unimaginable distances. We are, however, in a race to save the very planet we were launching from almost 50 years ago.

The reason, no matter what the cause was, has always been because we can, and subsequently because we have to. There was a time when equality was not a possibility in this country, yet when the door of opportunity cracked just the slightest bit, there were courageous people there to kick it wide open. Not to be famous or historical icons. They felt it was their responsibility to the future to do so. In other words, they did because they could.

We see this more now with the #MeToo movement where women, who were previously unknowns to some of the most successful and famed, have come out of the darkness to tell their story and have those responsible for their life of suffering the trauma of unwelcomed and forced perversion in silence be held accountable. They are not doing this because they enjoy talking about it. They are doing it because it needs to be talked about and they finally have a platform and audience to feel comfortable doing so with.

As you can tell by now, the words of the great John F. Kennedy ring true on so many levels in so many different areas, that they positively do define who we are.

We’re not just Presidents or astronauts. We’re not just Americans. We’re not just young or old, white or black, men or women.

We’re freedom fighters, preservationists, innovators, activists, and occasionally martyrs. Sometimes we have to sacrifice when no one understands why we would. But that is how we created a nation, planted the Stars and Stripes on the moon, recovered from tragedy, and still remain defiant in the face of those who tell us we can’t, because we can.

Cody has been a sports reporter and writer for ten years. His inspiration and motivation have come from all walks of life, including his own. He can be reached at codyjelms@gmail.com.

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