As we reflect on the month of July it is easy to remember a significant event in history that happened 50 years ago. It was 50 years ago that the first person walked on the moon. On July 20, Neil Armstrong was the first human to boldly go where no one had gone before. It is such an important and significant event in our history, not just as a country, but as a world. His words are etched in history books: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
A lot has happened in 50 years. Communication, travel and technology have all taken huge broad steps in making our world a bit smaller. We are able to FaceTime with our family members, even though they may be half a world away. Our best friends are only a text away if we need help, or want to stop by for a visit. We have GPS that allows us to never get lost (as long as you are using it correctly). We have social media that allows everyone to know what we “like” or where we are eating dinner. It is truly amazing the strides we have made.
But if we are to reflect on Armstrong’s words, have we really made a “giant leap” for mankind? It seems that all of this technology has brought us many great advances in so many aspects of our lives. Our cars have newer safety systems, our houses are protected with camera and electronic doorbells, and our medical community has the ability to save so many more lives through the creation of so many different tools. So yes, there has been a giant leap for mankind in many aspects of our lives. For all of those things I am truly grateful.
But I still can’t seem to get my head around this, have we, or more importantly you (or I) made a giant leap for mankind? Is how we act on a day to day basis allowed our world to make the giant leaps necessary? And just what does a giant leap for mankind really mean?
I have the blessed opportunity to volunteer monthly at the Mobile Food Pantry. When I am lucky enough I get a chance to push the carts filled with food out to people’s cars, help them unload, and return the carts back to the line so the next person can use it. I love this opportunity to talk with folks, usually the topic is the weather, but sometimes it is about the food they have received (last month it was some really great looking watermelon), or about how they are feeling, where they are headed to next, sometimes we even chat about their cars, the make and the model, the year it was purchased. All in all, the “small steps” that I take with them lasts about five minutes. But each of these small steps create in me a giant leap for mankind.
My path has crossed with someone I have never met, although I am getting to know more and more folks month after month. In that short exchange as simple as the conversation is, I feel we have made a difference in each other’s lives. I am not there to pass judgement on anyone. I am there to push your cart, make your day brighter, because whether you know it or not, you have made mine brighter. And guess what? There was no technology needed! It was a genuine face to face conversation that brought two folks together, and truly I believe that if we don’t have more small steps of conversations with our neighbors, we can never hope to take the giant leaps that are necessary for our communities and the world to grow.
This month I will turn 50, it was 50 years ago that my mom and dad brought me home from the hospital. There has always been a running joke in my family that nobody paid any attention to me, as they were all watching Armstrong land and walk on the moon. To be honest, if that is truly the case I am glad, because I know for a fact that my family took Armstrong’s words to heart. I have never met better people in my life who take the small steps for one another, they love and support and care for not only those they know, but friends they have not yet met. They know the importance of the small steps that lead to the giant leaps for the good of mankind.
The greatest birthday gift I ever received was simple, it was life. I feel that Armstrong’s words have been etched on my heart, it is my job to create small steps in the lives of others I meet so that the giant leaps will be seen in our words, our actions, and our love for one another.
As we all take time to remember the amazing occasion of people landing on the moon, take some time to ask yourself, what small steps am I going to take so that giant leaps can happen in the future? How can I make the world a better place for those around me? It doesn’t take much, a smile, a hello, or just the pushing of someone’s grocery cart.
You can do it!
— Joe Peters is the principal at St. Victor School in Monroe. His column appears on the second Saturday of each month. He can be reached at joepeters@stvictormonroe.org.
