This past weekend marked a huge anniversary. July 20th was the 50 year anniversary since Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon. As someone who has only known a world were we had traveled to the moon, this seems hard to really comprehend sometimes.
Last week we went to see an IMAX movie that went through real footage of going to the moon. Even though the footage had aged, you could still feel the tension and anxiety of traveling to the moon and returning.
While watching it, several thoughts passed through my mind. I wondered how Armstrong decided on what words to say as he stepped down the ladder. What didn’t make the cut? What sayings aren’t ones repeated for decades. That seems menial to the larger picture, but it’s truly amazing the lasting effect that the words have had.
Armstrong’s single step was small for a man. It was only maybe a little larger than a regular step. When it came to the effect on him personally, though traveling to the moon was a huge accomplishment, it was just a part of what made up him as a man. Armstrong was a naval aviator, test pilot, and was NASA’s first civilian astronaut to fly in space.
Buzz Aldrin was the first astronaut with a doctoral degree. He was a pilot for the US Air Force and is now also an author.
Both men have many accomplishments aside from landing on the moon. The moon landing isn’t the only part of their definitions.
But the moon landing was a giant leap for mankind. Suddenly we aren’t confined to a single planet. Our worlds became infinitely larger. No longer were we just turning our sights upwards but we were traveling upwards.
Not only did it expand our worlds, but it expanded our children’s possibilities. The other thought I had while watching the footage was in regards to the number of possibilities that were created for our children. Even though it happened 50 years ago, long before any of our children were born, the idea of pushing through any fear or anxiety and charging through to the unprecedented.
I want to encourage my children to explore without fear. This may start with them wandering around a yard without having to hold my hand. This may be that they take a few steps on their own without looking back to see where I am. I want them to be able to discover while knowing that they always have me supporting them, backing them up and cheering them on. I want them to have confidence that, if they need me, I’m right there a few steps behind them.
I want to encourage my children to have curiosity about their worlds. There is so much importance in discovering their worlds. So much can be learned from letting your children ask questions, guide their own lives, and find new things. There is a place for structured learning, but where would we be without our imaginations? How far could we have traveled without wondering what more was out there? I want to ask my kids the open-ended questions. I want them to not have all the answers. I want them to learn through discovery.
I want to encourage my children to see the possibilities in everything. Sometimes the smallest of objects can have the biggest effects. In the election between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon, Nixon was originally favored, having been the vice president under President Eisenhower. But then came the debates.
The debates leading up to the 1960 presidential election were the first ever to be televised. Because Kennedy agreed to wear the stage makeup, he did not appear sweaty or sickly. The smallest choice regarding makeup contributed to the turning point in the national election. A man who had not planned to be president, hadn’t been raised to be in office, was suddenly seeing the possibility of being president.
President Kennedy and his family not only saw the presidency as a possibility, but then he had the vision to see the possibility in the stars and to proclaim that the United States would put a man on the moon by the end of the decade.
I want to encourage my children to make the impossible possible. When Apollo 11 was attempting to land on the moon, they were off course, passing landmarks several seconds prior to when planned. So Armstrong took control and navigated the lunar module to a safe location. Armstrong could have given up. He could have hoped everything would have gone alright without having to navigate to a new location. Launching three humans up towards the moon, much less into space, seemed impossible at one time. Suddenly, it was right there, within reach, and still there were issues to overcome. It seemed impossible at many given points and yet they persevered, making the impossible possible.
I want to encourage my children to make giant leaps for mankind. Armstrong may have said the words, but there were so many who contributed to the giant leap for mankind. I want my children to be a part of the giant leaps, in whatever form they desire. The moon landing would not have been possible without the support crew, the CAPCOM team, the engineers, the doctors, and countless others who supported Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins. The moon landing wouldn’t have happened without the mathematicians and scientists and astronauts who went on previous missions, sometimes sacrificing their lives for the forward progress towards the stars. Cheering my children to be a part of the forward movement of humanity is important to me. Everyday giant leaps are occurring. Technological advancements and discoveries in every field imaginable are occurring. Our children have the opportunities to be a part of them. They just have to take that small step for a man first.
There is nothing like the anniversary of the lunar landing to turn our sights to the skies again, to imagine the possibilities and to explore with curiosity. There is so much for our children to achieve, both here on Earth and in the skies, and I can’t wait to see all the giant leaps for mankind that they accomplish.