Peace, Hope, and Love

During the mid 1960s America was a giant mixture of varying emotions, feelings, and beliefs. The height of the Civil Rights movement had barely just passes, with Vietnam right on its heels. At this time, Americans began putting a voice to their thoughts; the peace and love of the counterculture, the activists who stood up against the government and war, and liberals trying to keep equality among one another. Although these radically different groups of people shared different opinions of America's future, their own prosperity, and overall well being, they each shared one very important aspect: hope.
Hope for a brighter future, hope fore the freedom and safety of all Americans, hope for change and prosperity.
This sense of hope that was instilled in the American people was largely due to president John F. Kennedy. As a president, he used hope and charisma to drive Americans to be the positive change they wanted to see in the world. This attitude he heroically demonstrated lead to the creation of the Peace Corps, aid to foreign nations, and the space program.
Personally, I feel like his charm and right to-the-point attitude is what allowed people to want to make a change or a difference in the world. Much unlike today's society where everyone wants to do well or change something, but they just expect it to happen overnight, as if they rather click their heels together than put in effort or time or resources to achieve goals- instead of really earning them. I mean, people purchase pills and drinks that ruin their bodies when trying to lose weight instead of diet and exercise, or spend hundreds of dollars on "going green" with eco- friendly housing materials, water bottles, and miscellaneous products, but still drive their Hummers around. It is as if people only think about what they want, not about getting there.
The same holds true on a more personal level. As a college student I find myself pulling all nighters, consuming more coffee than a truck driver, and sometimes having to put my social life on hold to eventually reach my ultimate goals. For me, the struggle to find a balance between everything in life and then accomplishing important goals means so much more to me than if someone were to just hand me a diploma and give me a job. I like the work, the effort, the challenge- and I feel that even though it wasn't explicit, this was JFK's message. That everyone should have faith and courage in themselves, believe they are capable of working towards something, and knowing they've earned the rewards and are beyond deserving of that- and to never lose the hope of knowing anything really is possible.