Comparing Neil Armstrong, George Floyd and Elon Musk

It was 1969 — the year Astronaut, Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the Moon, while at the same time the War in Vietnam continued to divide Americans as nearly 50,000 young soldiers died in combat. When since then has our country have we been so divided? Are we today the America of George Floyd or of Elon Musk?

Covid-19 was already placing a glaring spotlight on the widening divide in our nation just as the death toll climbed above 100,000 this week. This deadly pandemic brought out the best in Americans as frontline first responders, medical professionals and family households all making great sacrifices to defeat an deadly virus, while at the same time bringing out the worst in Americans who chose to angrily protest the call for masking and social separation claiming it as a vast conspiracy and a threat of their personal freedom without any regard for the safety of others.

Then, just as cities across American slowly began re-opening, racial injustice reared it’s ugly head once again to remind us of that a centuries old prejudice and brutality has always existed just below the surface of civility. From what I’ve heard about George Floyd, he was the last man in America that any law enforcement officer should’ve been concerned with and yet he a person of color is the latest tragic victim of extreme prejudice and fatal brutality.

All at the same time, there’s been a monumental achievement by Elon Musk, SpaceX and Nasa this week on the flawless launch of a SpaceX Rocket successfully faring two American Astronauts to the International Space Station. Watching a brief boarding ceremony as the ISS Team posed for a photo, I took note of Texas Senator Ted Cruz when he said, “This launch and you all’s docking is a powerful inspiration of what we can do when we come together.”

Sen. Cruz was absolutely right, but how do we get there? How do we come together in the absence of a leader who can both heal and inspire a divided nation to truly come together? This is much more than just a divided nation, we’re a nation bent on self-destruction while seeking the freedom, peace and the American Dream. So I ask, “are we the America of George Floyd or Elon Musk?

Sen. Ted Cruz is not a politician I’d normally speak so highly of, but he really did have it right. We do need to come together, we do need to take on that challenge. We need to be an America where both George Floyd and Elon Musk are celebrated by every American.

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  • Newspaper: Pixaby