We could use an inspirational leader

As I reflected on readers’ experiences during the Apollo 11 moon landing [July 20, Opinion, “Your memories of the Apollo 11 moon landing”], I yearned for the passion and united commitment of America’s people.

President John F. Kennedy, in a speech on Sept. 12,1962, ignited this vision as he noted “we meet in an hour of change and challenge, in a decade of hope and fear, in an age of both knowledge and ignorance.” He recognized that the more we know the more we discover how much we do not know, that our country had a history of moving forward, not looking backward. Kennedy clearly articulated what America’s goal would be.

It was this inspirational speech that set the course for our country and I believe helped to unite our country. In 1962, as a 21 year old recent graduate, I saw how the world was changing and how motivated the country was to prove to the world that we could accomplish even the most difficult tasks and could make our country the leader of the world.

This is what is lacking in our current political climate: an inspirational leader, one who has a clear vision of what is and has made America great. Whatever the vision, it must recognize that we are not a country in isolation but one that must function in a global economy and interrelated world. The decade of the 2020s is fast approaching, and we must be prepared — just as JFK prepared us for space exploration and the technological future.

Patricia Karwoski, Farmington