Innovation: Illuminating the Bright Future of America-and YOU

This afternoon, I had my two youngest kids helping me scrub the mildew, mold, and algae off the headstones of military veterans in one of our local cemeteries. The weather was splendid. Seventy degrees, a slight breeze, and the smell of damp leaves from a recent rain shower.

With each new headstone, we started to clean, I found myself thinking about how much the world has changed since the person beneath that stone had been laid to rest.

One such man was killed in February 1945, just seven months before the war would end. He was twenty-four years old at the time of his death.

During the 1940s, polio was one of the most terrifying diseases in the United States. The end of the decade would find polio outbreaks striking fear into the hearts of millions of Americans, with nearly 40,000 people each year contracting the virus.

During the summer months, the polio virus seemed to reach its zenith, and many parents were too afraid to let their kids go outside and play with other children.

Then, in 1955, the polio vaccine Dr. Jonas Salk developed was licensed in the United States, and by the end of the century, polio had been eradicated worldwide. Just two years after the polio vaccine started being administered, the annual cases in the United States dropped from 58,000 to just 5600. By 1961, only 161 cases remained.

It’s easy to find ourselves being swept away with worries about the things happening in the world that scare us. We are wired to pay more attention to things that we think might bring us harm...or even death. That’s a useful nervous system setup for surviving and living as long as possible.

However, when it comes to our ability to enjoy life and have a sense of a world that might have something to look forward to, having a predilection for noticing things that frighten us can be a real kick in the ass.