Reflections on American Exceptional-ism
Most Americans take for granted the Exceptional-ism that defines this country. Every once in a while, something happens, or comes along, that exemplifies the capacity of the human spirit, especially in America, in seemingly unintended ways. All too often, TV programming is nothing but a colossal waste of time, with very, very few exceptions. One notable divergence from the run of the mill crap are Hallmark Hall of Fame broadcasts, the most recent of which, “A Smile as Big as The Moon” aired recently.
Not only are the programs excellent, the commercials are markedly different from other fare. The themes stress values which used to be commonly accepted as truly American, prior to the advent of the overwhelming Progressive/Leftist/Communist influences that pervade the media today.
Throughout the program, the themes of taking personal responsibility, believing in yourself, the power of imagination, and similar themes echoed and resonated with amazing clarity. What was nowhere to be found was dependency, victim-hood, nanny state rhetoric, government as the answer, “you can’t do it thinking” –typical Progressive blather. Which is even more amazing, given the fact that the entire program dealt with how a class of “special ed” students dared to dream about attending “Space Camp”, guided and encouraged by their remarkable teacher and his assistant, against all odds, to master the requirements to attend. Up to that point in time, “Space Camp” had been limited to only the best and the brightest high school students. The acceptance standards were intentionally high, to insure that the campers selected would be able to complete the course.
The messages behind this program are something that needs to be broadcast in every school in the nation, and should be required viewing for a variety of reasons. In addition to the incredible message of “possibility thinking” instead of accepting the notion of being told what you cannot achieve, the equally important lessons of how to treat everyone with respect as human beings, regardless of whatever might be viewed as handicaps, or shortcomings or even simply being “different”.
As I said at the beginning, every once in a while we have a chance to be reminded of the amazing capacity of the human spirit to achieve great things in the face of tremendous opposition, and that message should be trumpeted loudly at every opportunity. The corollary to all of this is that our nation is uniquely configured to express the possibility, and not the limitations, that our citizens encounter and overcome with regularity. And that message is the one we all celebrate!