This is not your normal post from me, but it is not your normal day. This is the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.
The moon landing was the single-most formative event of my childhood. I was an Apollo kid. I compiled huge scrapbooks documenting every NASA adventure. Oh how I dreamed of being an astronaut one day!
I was 9-years-old and this was also my first immersion in news of all forms. I begged my parents to let me stay up well past my bedtime to watch my heroes walk on the moon.
Sadly, there has been no single event since that time that unified the world in such a thrilling manner. It was truly the best of the human race — bold human exploration in peace.
If you haven’t done it already, do yourself a favor and watch Todd Douglas Miller’s extraordinary documentary “Apollo 11.” A half-century-old mission is rekindled in sharp color, bright and crisp, from Cape Kennedy to the Lunar Module Sea as if it all happened yesterday. Here’s the trailer:
The overwhelming emotion you get from this film is the staggering sense of wonder that unified the world. Technology, space, bravery … every country, every religion, and every politician was cheering for the astronauts.
Perhaps some will look back at this unifying event in 1969 and explain that it as a simpler time. It wasn’t. The world has always been massively screwed up.
I hope this anniversary helps us recapture the feeling of true peace that came out of the 21 hours spent on Tranquility Base and remind us that unity is possible.
Back then, everyone was looking up at a launch instead down into the palm of their hands. The whole world was looking up as one.
Look up at the moon and cheer. Look up and cry. Look up and be proud. Everyone deserves to have that feeling at least once in their lifetime.
Illustration courtesy of NASA