"Around the Corner," Around the World?

I stumbled across this poem while reading a book of American poetry that, until recently, had been collecting dust on the shelf. It grabbed my attention immediately, and I began to think about how relevant it is to my own life...

"Around the Corner" (Charles Hanson Towne)

Around the Corner I have a friend,
In this great city that has no end,
Yet the days go by and weeks rush on,
And before I know it, a year is gone.
And I never see my old friend's face,
For life is a swift and terrible race.

He knows I like him just as well,
As in the days when I rang his bell.
And he rang mine but we were younger then,
And now we are busy, tired men.
Tired of playing a foolish game,
Tired of trying to make a name.
"Tomorrow" I say! "I will call on Jim
Just to show that I'm thinking of him."

But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes,
And distance between us grows and grows.
Around the corner, yet miles away,
"Here's a telegram sir,"..."Jim died today."

And that's what we get, and deserve in the end:
Around the corner, a vanished friend.

I know. It's meaning seems simple enough; however, my own experiences tell me that this poem, its meaning, is more relevant today than ever before. With social networks blossoming all over the place and people making contact with others sometimes thousands of miles away, I wonder how much attention we are placing on those who are "around the corner." In the past 15 years, I have lost touch with numerous friends. Some have moved away. Some of us have merely grown apart. And yes, in some cases, there have been fallings out. There are others, though, to which these categories do not apply. I look over my list of Facebook friends or Twitter friends, and I realize that many of them are people with whom I have reestablished contact because of these social sites. Some of them are far away...some are nearby. All are friends. But then, I realize there are friends of mine who live just down the road, seemingly, to whom I have not spoken in months, or even years. Why is that? They are still friends, yet what I have done to maintain that friendship? I spend countless hours online, messaging friends via Facebook, or updating friends via Twitter, or emailing someone who lives halfway around the world. Yet, rarely do I find myself taking the time out of my day to stroll to a friend's house and say hello. I think social network sites are amazing. They serve to establish connections, reestablish friendships, and they also provide information and entertainment. We must be wary, however, not to let ourselves become so absorbed with them, that we lose the intimacy of human contact.

Dow Chemical has been running commercials talking about "the human element." The commercials are appealing because they touch on the one thing that seems to be lacking for much of us...the human element. We spend so much time working, running errands, paying bills, chatting online, that we often neglect what may be the simplest, yet most meaningful part of human existence: establishing and maintaining a connection with another.

My pledge is to spend a little more time with those friends whom I may have neglected through the years. To get to know them. To reestablish that human contact so many of us are lacking. To rediscover the "human element."

True friendships are easy. They require little to maintain. Have coffee with an old friend. Today. Before bad news has a chance to come. I have to believe that it will make you, the friend, the world, that much closer.

"Forever Mankind"

The following speech was written as a "worst-case scenario" speech, to be delivered if tragedy struck and the Apollo 11 astronauts were stranded on the moon. Fortunately, Richard Nixon never had to give this speech (written by William Safire); and yet, in it lies the spirit of American exploration that has guided us since the first explorers stepped foot on this continent so many years ago...

----------------

"Fate has ordained that the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace.

These brave men, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, know that there is no hope for their recovery. But they also know that there is hope for mankind in their sacrifice.

These two men are laying down their lives in mankind's most noble goal: the search for truth and understanding.

They will be mourned by their families and friends; they will be mourned by their nation; they will be mourned by the people of the world; they will be mourned by a Mother Earth that dared send two of her sons into the unknown.

In their exploration, they stirred the people of the world to feel as one; in their sacrifice, they bind more tightly the brotherhood of man.

In ancient days, men looked at stars and saw their heroes in the constellations. In modern times, we do much the same, but our heroes are epic men of flesh and blood.

Others will follow, and surely find their way home. Man's search will not be denied. But these men were the first, and they will remain the foremost in our hearts.

For every human being who looks up at the moon in the nights to come will know that there is some corner of another world that is forever mankind.

----------------

As I read this speech, I cannot help but wonder how this world would be different had those brave astronauts not returned from their voyage. It would not be considered a failure, I am certain. Rather, I believe it would have been considered another stone in the road toward the future...and as such, the American spirit of exploration would have continued on, undaunted. When I read this speech, I find myself rereading two sections: the first, about the search for truth and understanding, the second, about the unifying ability of their sacrifice, because sacrifice it is, regardless of the outcome.

The search for truth and understanding has gone on for centuries, and those searching, often did so despite disapproval from those in power, and despite the danger to themselves. We would have done the same had the Apollo 11 astronauts never returned. The proof? In 1986, the space shuttle Challenger disintegrated in a sudden and massive explosion shortly after take-off. The nation mourned the loss of the brave men and women on board. President Reagan, using his skills as an orator, helped the country through their grief with the following words: "We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and 'slipped the surly bonds of earth' to ' touch the face of God." Yet, he also illustrated the American spirit of exploration when he said, "We'll continue our quest in space. There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and, yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space. Nothing ends here; our hopes and our journeys continue." And we did continue...albeit after an extended break. And we continued despite much public outcry over the dangers of space travel. As Reagan said: "Man's search will not be denied." More recently, we have suffered through the tragedy of the space shuttle Columbia, as it broke apart during re-entry, killing all aboard. Again, we mourned, and after some time, we continued our search for truth and understanding.

The second part of the "Forever Mankind" speech I like talks about how these brave men brought about a sense of brotherhood to the people of the world. The speech maintains that their exploration, and ultimate sacrifice, "stirred the people of the world to feel as one." The interesting thing is that their success, not their failure, is what brought the world together, if only for a moment.

After reading this section, my mind wandering, I paused...because I could not help but wonder why the world can always find the exuberance to celebrate together during times of extreme triumph (the moon landing, the first trans-ocean flight, etc.) or the strength to mourn together and help those in need during times of extreme tragedy (earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, etc.), yet we seem never to be able to unite for a common cause during ordinary times. The closest I could think of is the U.S.A. for Africa project, which, with the release of "We Are the World," was able to raise millions of dollars to help feed the hungry in Africa. When released, it was played on thousands of radio stations worldwide at the same time. Yet, even this event, though unique and wonderful, only came to fruition after the world saw footage of the terrible conditions the people of Ethiopia had to endure.

So, my point is this: why can't we come together to help each other everyday? Why must we be prompted by some national tragedy or worldwide event? In the time that I have been injured, I have been treated with the utmost kindness by practically everyone I have come across; it means the world to me, but what about when I'm not injured? Why can't the people of the world find it in themselves to follow the Golden Rule all the time? Do we really need some massive worldwide event to cause us "to come together as one"?

Why can't we make this world "forever mankind," a place where the world comes together to help each other because it's the right thing to do, not because we're in dire straights, lacking any other options?

It seems so simple. We sacrifice a little for the greater good, and ultimately, the world is a better place. Right?

----------------
Now playing: Mannheim Steamroller - Fanfare For The Common Man
via FoxyTunes

----------------
Now playing: U.S.A. for Africa - We Are the World
via FoxyTunes