Every week
that I sit down to write one of these columns as has been my
habit for the past 15 or so years, I am always looking for
something to say that I think you might find of interest,
amusing or just relevant to our daily lives. This past weekend
was no exception. However, on Saturday the focus of this week’s
column was laid out for me with the Columbia disaster. As in any
time where a national tragedy occurs, you certainly can’t make
light of the event or find any humor in something as serious as
this. In thinking about what to say, I started thinking about
the achievements of any group of people that we call pioneers.
Throughout history, we have always had people in our society who
were willing to risk their lives and fortunes for the betterment
of us all. Imagine if you will for a moment, where we would have
been if Columbus had not taken a chance to venture out into
uncharted waters on his quest to find a trade route to India.
The Pilgrims landing at Jamestown
and Plymouth Rock were striking out into unknown and dangerous
waters when they first arrived on the shores of this country.
Our entire national history is paved with the achievements as
well as the failures of those who weren’t afraid to try while
taking chances that often cost them their lives. Our pioneer
spirit is the one thing that has made this country what it is
today. We had citizens among us who weren’t afraid to take
chances, in spite of the clear and present dangers.
Try and visualize what thoughts
went though the minds of Lewis and Clark as they set forth on
their journey to survey our vast territories just 200 years ago.
Only 125 years ago or so, our not too distant relatives were
either sailing on ships to get to California or enduring untold
miseries by wagon train over the mountains heading to the west
coast. Ever look at a real covered wagon? I have and trust me; I
don’t think any of us today would want to suffer through 6 to 9
months of travel in this manner. Those Americans who didn’t go
all the way to the west coast didn’t have it any easier. Look at
pictures of your grandparents and great grandparents, not too
many of them were smiling were they?
Times were hard, the work was
harder but our people kept on going in spite of the danger and
hardships. The events of this past Saturday should remind us
that we shouldn’t take any pioneer effort for granted. Only 100
years ago, the Wright brothers gave us the first manned airplane
flight. Now, in that length of time we’ve been to the moon and
back and have achieved wonders that were unimaginable only fifty
or sixty years ago. While our hearts are saddened by the loss of
these fine, brave astronauts and the impact their loss will be
to their family and friends, we should not lose sight of what
they were doing and why they were doing it.
These people were involved in a
dangerous and mostly unknown profession. Sure, this is the first
disaster the space program has experienced with a shuttle on
landing, but space travel is still too new to be anything but
routine. I’m certain there were plenty of folks back in the
1800’s who were shocked to learn of some relative or friend
dying of heat, hunger or thirst on his way to Oregon. After the
wagon trains had been going for some years, I would imagine the
process was pretty much taken for granted until tragedy struck
close to home. Are we any different today? I don’t think so.
Life goes on and we need to step back and consider that there
are perils with anything we do. Planes crash, cars run into each
other but does that stop us from doing what we need to do? Not
hardly.
Our country isn’t made of people
who stick their heads in the sand after they are confronted by
danger. We don’t just run back to the cave and quit because
we’re afraid of something. Nope, we get up, dust ourselves off
and got fix the problem so that it doesn’t happen again. Then we
get going again and strike out for new and more distant
frontiers. That’s what makes us a great nation and a great
people. God bless the families of these heroes and God bless our
country.
