On May 25, 1961, JFK articulated a powerful vision and described this DREAM in his special message to the Congress on the “Urgent National Needs” of the US:

“...I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth."

On 24th July 1969, when Apollo 11 returned with its crew safely to Earth, following its earlier launch on 16th July 1969, and subsequent successful landing at the Sea of Tranquility on the Moon on July 20th 1969, that DREAM was fully manifested.

For those who today might fail to realize that in 1961, this was a truly “Impossible Dream,” you ought to hear today’s Space Scientists and Technologists say it that what Kennedy envisioned back then could only have been accomplished with today’s knowledge and technology—that is, only with the facilities of 40 years later. Stated a different way, Kennedy’s DREAM had snatched from a time 50 years in the future to produce a result in 1969. Imagine that!

Consider the clarity and precision of his DREAM:

Who?              This nation

What?             Commit to achieve a goal

What goal?      1) land a man on the moon

                        2) return him to earth

                        3) return him safely

                        4) before decade is out.

Size of articulated DREAM in writing: 1 sentence; 31 words; 2 to 3 lines

Size of Result: Immeasurable!

The key to successful dreaming is CLARITY. Clarity does not necessarily imply simplicity; nor complexity: just “clearness.” A simple thing may not be clearly visualized or understood, while its complex counterpart can make perfect sense (= seen clearly).

Once the dream is set in motion, it has a manifest-imperative of its own, now independent of the dreamer. Alas, Kennedy did not live long enough to witness the fruition of his bold and visionary dream. No matter, “the [dream] show must go on…” as they say.

Lesson: a DREAM can, today, pluck from the tree of time desirable fruits which, being meant for a future season, are not even there at the moment. That is accomplishing the impossible. Yes, it can be done. Just DREAM with Clarity.

by Oguchi Nkwocha, MD