Jim Hill
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In his research, Randy stumbled upon a particularly interesting aspect of the American character: That we -- as a people & as a nation -- are often at our best when things are at their absolute worst. When things are looking darkest (like in the depths of the Great Depression or the early days of World War II) and all hope seems lost, that's the American people stop being so selfish & self involved and suddenly reveal ourselves to be the brave, good-hearted group that we've been all along.

Don't believe me? Then look at what happened this past Tuesday morning New York City. And -- no-- I'm not talking about that terrible footage (that we keep seeing over and over on our TV sets ... ) of those planes plowing into the sides of those skyscrapers. I'm talking about what happened *AFTER* that.

Moments after the crash, hundreds of New York's finest converged on the crime scene. These brave policemen, firemen and rescue workers raced willingly into a burning building, a huge structure that was obviously in imminent danger of collapse. That didn't matter to these folks. These guys were professionals. There were lives to be saved, so in they went. And these brave souls were still inside, still trying to aid & evacuate the injured, when the first of the World Trade Center towers came tumbling down.

As of this moment, there are 202 firefighters and 57 police officers that are still listed as being among the missing, along with an untold number of civilians. Americans who deliberately put themselves in harm's way for what they obviously thought was the greater good.

This is exactly the sort of thing that Randy Bright was trying to celebrate when he put together the proposal for his version Epcot's "American Adventure" attraction. True American heroics. People making real sacrifices & what that said about our nation's character. Randy didn't want to just produce some pointless pageant that was full of flag waving but never actually said anything. That's why Bright made sure that this World Showcase show didn't just spotlight the United States' successes, but also touched on our nation's many mis-steps and mistakes.

After all, without showing the dark times, how could Bright's show accurately celebrate those moments when the American people actually rose above adversity? When we all came together to serve a common cause, to defeat a common enemy?

I don't need to tell you all that we're facing one of those dark times right now, folks. Things do look pretty bleak ... But -- just as we have in the past -- I'm certain that the American people will eventually bounce back from this tragedy. Just watch and see.

Just as Randy said in that song that he & Bob Moline wrote for Epcot's "American Adventure," now is the time that we -- the American people -- "in a world of change" must keep our "dreams aloft in the rain." Sure, tough & scary times lie ahead. But we still all "must keep dreaming now." Otherwise, the bad guys win.

Sure, it's hard to keep hope alive in what seems to be such a senseless time. This must be something akin to what all the Imagineers felt back in the Spring of 1989, when they learned that Bright had been tragically killed.

After all, Randy had his whole future ahead of him. Hell, he had all of our futures ahead of him as well. For -- at the time that Bright was struck & killed by a car while bicycling near his home in Yorba Linda, CA. -- he was in the process of mapping out plans for Epcot's second decade. So one has to wonder what that park would look like now if Randy had lived.

Of course, the layout of a theme park and/or the death of a single Imagineer 12 years ago may not seem all that important right now -- particularly in comparison to the projected death toll in New York City & Washington D.C. But what *IS* important is Randy's message. Which bears repeating now:

That we -- the American people -- are always at our best when things are at their worst. That we -- as a nation -- always bounce back, always come back even stronger when we're faced with real adversity.

Here's hoping that that thought provides you with some small comfort in the dark days ahead. And here's hoping that -- someday soon -- we'll all be able to come back to LaughingPlace.com and do some actual laughing again.

By the way , if you've grown tired of just sitting on the couch and watching this tragedy play out on the tube, here's a way that you can get up & actually do something to help: Contact the American Red Cross today at 1-800-GIVE-LIFE to schedule an appointment to give blood. In this time of national tragedy, every little bit helps (Plus they give you cookies afterwards).

Discuss It

-- Jim Hill

-- Posted September 13, 2001