He could have done so much. He did not see the whole picture. He might have been a hero, with cities and towns named for him.
Some would believe that possibility long gone.
They would be right, if not for me. For I stand on his shoulders-
Time to climb to the winches. Dawn is breaking. Canada is out of sight
The operator is a man; he sailed the seas and fought the eternal war that every sailor must fight.
Now time brief my crew.
- I am no founding father, only because I am a man of the modern era
Like my ancestor, I do not care for the law that seeks to bind. His name could have been remembered along with the great men of his time. The only way to make that lost history true is to rise to be the great man of my time: The Age of the Adventuring Businessman!
I may be reckless. But you, great grandfather, were a coward. You had the opportunity to join a great westward expedition.
You chose only to provision them
Why?
Did you fear the unknown?
You knew more than any man of the true nature of our world
yet feared the harshness of the natural world
Did you not trust your own inventions?
Those men would have been hopeless without your medicine, your work. Yet you did not trust it to protect you.-
One of my crew is no coward. His life has been one of adventure, he wouldn’t suit the office.
Neither do I, and in that sense, I aspire to his spirit of adventure.
But he never understood the value of true work, nor ascended to greatness. He explored the world, but never made it his own.
One of my crew is but a boy. Will he follow the righteous path?
He has followed this far
If I were wrong, would the crew follow me? Would I have this vessel into which we now enter? As I run my hand along her hull, I feel every design decision, every tool mark and every imperfection. Yes, one is just a boy. Yes, our vessel may not be perfect. But if she sinks it will not be from weakness.
Reckless captains have slain the dreams of geniuses
Cowards have slain more many more None were Great Men
Those who
sailed ships- they did not build
or built ships- they feared to sail
I trust in my inventions, my mind, and hands
I have my contrarians to tell me that I am a fool, but you, doctor, had yours.
Unlike you
I will not give in, for I have learned from your mistakes. You knew the ideal and spirit. But you did not accept it. You never trusted yourself to rise.
As the crane swings out high above the water and the hatches close
And I plunge into the dark, though only for a moment.
I will soon fly over the deck; for I have overcome the deep.
It remains only to face the world above.
But that can wait a day. There is no resounding clang of metal, no roaring engine, nothing out of date-it is new, and it is mine-I know every strength and every weakness