Moon landing anniversary sparks nostaliga, ennui

In an era when "50 is the new 30" and kids seem "all grown up" at the age of 10, today represents a bit of a curveball.

If you missed the memo, today marks the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

Americans old enough to remember the event no doubt feel a strong sense of nostalgia. For them, July 20, 1969 represents one of those indelible, "remember where you were" moments in life that created a surge of national pride and a sense of boundless optimism.

For the younger set.... well, most sum up their feelings with an indifferent grunt -- "Meh."

The space program doesn't get a lot of attention these days. When was the last time you talked to a kid who wanted to be an astronaut or choked down a glass of Tang?

The space shuttles launch and land and, barring a tragedy, nobody seems to give it much thought.

That raises a question: what does it take -- aside from the death of a bizarre pop star -- to collectively captivate our country these days?

What event in recent history do Generations X, Y, Z or the so-called "millenials" have to be stoked about? Live Aid was cool for a couple weeks, but that was nearly 25 years ago. The fall of the Berlin Wall was inspiring, but fleeting.

Are young people today creating any lifetime memories by playing air guitar with a video game or surfing the Web for information on pseudo-celebrities?

Wouldn't it be cool if one of our elected leaders proclaimed that we were going to do something epic -- like curing cancer, feeding the hungry or finding a cheap, viable alternative source of fuel -- and then followed through with a plan that was executed to completion?

As people think about their misty, watercolor memories of watching the moon landing on black and white TVs, we might want to spend a little time thinking about where we are and what lies ahead.