Saturday, May 16, 2009

Where have our dreams gone?

Thoughts on reading about the repair of the Hubble Telescope:

Where have all our dreams gone?

In the past, they sailed us to Plymouth Rock, walked us through the wilderness with Daniel Boone, led us down the trail with Lewis and Clark. They ran with us to California and Alaska seeking gold, floated us with Alan Shepard in that first run into space, and landed us on the moon with Neil Armstrong.

Today the space shuttle is on its last run with no plans to replace it. Have we reached and gotten weary of the last frontier? What impossible dreams do our grandchildren have to look forward to?

When did they fade--those dreams that took us to the stars? Did we lose our courage for dreaming amid the jungles of Viet Nam, in the caves of Afganistan, on the streets of Iraq?

Langston Hughes wrote, "Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly." I don't want that to be my legacy--I am praying for our leaders to begin to dream again--soon.

No comments: