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One hundred and nineteen years ago, today, at approximately 10:35 in the morning, a couple of guys became household names. Well, it didn’t actually happen immediately. But once they did what they did, they were never gonna be forgotten. Because they literally flew off in the right direction. And things would never be the same.I said, “the right direction,” but…
Maybe I should’ve said the Wright Direction.
Yeah, that’s a dead giveaway. Wright? Oops, I mean, right?
I’m sure you’ve guessed, by now, I’m talking about Orville Wright and Wilbur Wright. They’re the guys who are credited with being the first to invent, build, and fly an airplane. Most everyone else who had tried used clunky, clumsy, and uncontrolled “flying machines.” But Orville and Wilbur figured out how to control flight.
Pretty important if you wanna leave the ground and return safely. Wouldn’t you say?
Anyway…
The brothers flew their plane, they called the Wright Flyer (I think that’s a great name for a plane that went the right direction for them) four times. It was mid-morning on December 17, 1903. The first flight lasted about 12 seconds. And the plane zoomed along at a breathtaking 6.8 miles per hour. Of course, I’m poking a little fun. But with my “fear” of heights, I won’t kid around about the 120 feet altitude they achieved. That’s impressive.
And the Wright brothers were able to do that because they figured out how to invent a system the pilot could use to control the aircraft during flight. It was what they called a three-axis control system. And would you believe it’s still the standard on airplanes today?
Wow. That’s impressive, too.
OK, maybe I’m not telling you something you didn’t know about that first famous flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. But I bet you didn’t know how much Orville and Wilbur attributed their success to their strong family upbringing. According to an article I read, their parents taught the boys that the world is an unfriendly place. And that it’s filled with untrustworthy people and evil temptations.
What?! Say it ain’t so, Joe. Unfriendly, untrustworthy people and evil temptations even back in the 1800’s? But the Wright family, with its “uncompromising moral philosophy and clear worldview,” nurtured a lot of Orville and Wilbur’s self-confidence. And that helped them pursue their own ideas instead of going with the theories and experiments of more well-known aeronautical experts.
And the support of their family also helped the Wright brothers to keep going in the right direction in spite of the obstacles they faced.
These days, boys (and girls for that matter) from lots of families don’t think clearly about their own gender. Much less about the math and research it would take to get some wood and a motor off the ground. And that’s because so many kids don’t have a family with “uncompromising moral philosophy and clear worldview.” And that’s more than a shame.
It’s a travesty against design.
But I won’t bore you with the whole going-against-what-God-says-about-it thing. Because I don’t wanna mess up your holidays. But maybe think about, as you go about your festivities for the next couple of weeks, how there might be a couple of brothers somewhere right now who could change the world. And think about how they might never do that because this world mocks morality and family.
We’re not flying in the right direction
When we leave behind the strong affection
Of a mother and a dad like America once had.
Thanks for tuning into my objection.
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