 |
| Photo from NASA.gov |
If you can dream it, you can do it.
Walt Disney
I thought about Walt Disney and that quote last Saturday when I read of
the death of Neil Armstrong at age 82. Neil
Armstrong was a hero and a dreamer who put his dreams into actions. Walt Disney dreamed about the future. Tomorrowland,
although to some it may seem a make believe world of yesterday’s dreams, is
part of the vision of Walt Disney. The
future, space and space travel were part of much that Walt Disney imagined as
he created Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
From a short documentary with Dr. Werner Von Braun in the fifties to
Mission to Mars to Space Mountain to Mission Space and Spaceship Earth and especially
his vision of EPCOT, Walt loved dreaming
about the future and doing the impossible.
So last Saturday, when I read of the passing of Neil Armstrong so soon
after Sally Ride, I thought about the impact Walt’s fellow dreamers, who were a
part of the space program, had on our nation.
Our astronauts, just like Walt, dreamed of doing the impossible. And they did it.
Growing up as a Baby Boomer, the space program and the
astronauts were an integral part of our daily lives. We dreamed of space travel. We played space games and had space
toys. We watched space cartoons. We learned a whole new set of vocabulary
related to space. Astronauts were our
heroes. We learned about space as we
watched space shots on TVs wheeled into classrooms, just for that purpose. We
cheered at liftoffs and water landings and space capsule recoveries. And we watched as we, yes we, landed on the
Moon. Our lives were changed forever when
the “Eagle” landed late on July 20 and Neil Armstrong stepped off that ladder a
few hours later onto the surface of the Moon on July 21, 1969. The astronauts showed us that what others
might say is impossible, can be achieved.
We were encouraged to “reach for the stars” in all that we did, which
included encouraging boys and girls to learn more about math and science and explore
careers involving these. Girls,
especially, learned that they could be anything they wanted to be, including astronauts.
Without dreamers like Walt Disney, Sally Ride, Christa Mc
Auliffe and Neil Armstrong, the world would be a very different place today. Their dreams made the world a better
place. Because of their dreams and their
actions, many more dreamers have made discoveries that benefit all. Their legacies
live on in those who follow them as dreamers who make the future happen.
The next time you are in The American Adventure, and you’re
singing along and you get to the part of the Golden Dream where we remember the Moon landing, pay extra
attention to that dreamer who made the first step. Thank you, Neil Armstrong, for inspiring so
many to follow their dreams. Thank you
for dreaming and living your dreams.
Take a lesson from these dreamers, especially Neil
Armstrong. Make your dreams happen!
To learn more about Neil Armstrong, visit NASA.
