American Dynamism

Hey there,

Today’s letter is a manifesto of hope and optimism.

Let’s talk about American Dynamism.

I asked ChatGPT to describe “American Dynamism“ to me, and this is what it said:

It is what took the United States from being a group of rebellious colonies to a global world power.

This isn’t exclusive to the U.S, and concept can be applied by every culture in the world.

Feel free to just call it “Dynamism“ if you want.

But let’s get into why this concept is increasingly relevant these days and why I just can’t seem to get it off my mind.

This topic of dynamism feels especially relevant right now, because we face many challenges these days…

Like, wars across the world, the rise of artificial intelligence, infectious diseases, social media, etc.

Challenges abound.

It is hard to talk about this without getting incredibly frustrated (and hopeful).

Frustrated, because when I look around, I see a lot of obstacles to dynamism.

The Obstacles To American Dynamism

I am sure that the list is quite long, but here are a few obstacles that come to mind:

• Bureaucratic calcification preventing good people from doing good things.

• Political polarization preventing long-term planning.

• Unequal distribution of opportunity stifling positive growth.

Yes, there are obstacles, but there is a phrase that rings through my mind, no matter how tall the mountain or wide the river…

WE’VE GOT IT IN US.

There are countless examples of countries and communities and individuals overcoming the impossible through collaboration, innovation, and purpose.

You should NEVER underestimate the power of people when they are unified around a singular purpose.

There are plenty of examples, but when I think about American Dynamism, I always think about the magnitude and speed of our accomplishments back in the 1940’s.

Here is my favorite example of dynamism:

The P-51 Mustang

The prototype for this incredible plane was designed and manufactured from scratch in just 102 days.

Eventually, the prototype plane grew into the P-51 Mustang fighter jet, which played a huge part in the success of the allies in WW2.

Some random specs on the Mustang:

• Top speed was 440 MPH

  • In WW1, most planes were maxed out at 100-120 MPH.

• Flight range of 1600 miles

  • That means the P-51 could fly from England, right up to to Hitler’s doorstep and still have enough gas for the trip back. For context, back in WW1, planes could cover about 100-300 miles before refueling.

• The P-51 had six, .50 cal guns on board.

  • This is insane to me. Have you ever seen a .50 cal cartridge? They are huge. Like - almost 6 inches long and weigh ¼ pound. It is the same bullet that most sniper rifles use. The P-51 could fire 80 rounds… per second. 

As an aside, the P-51 has got to be one of the coolest looking planes in existence.

Let’s see if DALL-E 3 can show us how cool it is…

Not only was this incredible plane cooked up in a short period of time, but it was built in collaboration between The United States and Great Britain.

• North American Aviation from the U.S.

• Rolls-Royce from Great Britain

Without this collaboration the plane would be…

I’m using the P-51 to support my point of dynamism, because it is a great example of overcoming obstacles and producing something incredible through vision, collaboration, and brilliant execution.

But the P-51 Mustang is just one many inspiring examples during WW2.

Here are two more…

The Pentagon

The Pentagon was built in just 14 months, even though it was projected to be built in 7 years. The pentagon is 6.5 million square feet and has 17 miles of corridors.

Regardless of whether you think this building should exist, that is pretty dang impressive.

SS Robert E. Peary Liberty Ship

This cargo ship was built in just 4 days, 15 hours, and 29 minutes. 😲

As I said before…

But aside from the inspiring historical examples above, this topic is increasingly relevant today because I feel like, as a whole, we’re really lacking the dynamism that we once had.

When I look around, I don’t see a lot of “dynamism“, or perhaps it is just directed towards the wrong things.

I mean…

• Where is the collaboration?

  • It only seems to happen if there is a paycheck involved or to give someone more power.

• Where is the vision?

  • Our leaders must have misplaced their glasses.

• Where is the innovation?

  • Well, everywhere. It just feels like it is being directed towards extracting the most time, money, and health from people.

Gosh, I am starting to sound pretty pessimistic, but I am just calling it how I see it.

Believe it or not, I am quite optimistic.

Because all of the challenges that I see can be overcome.

And in order to solve a problem, we must first acknowledge that it exists.

Said in other words…

In order to hit a bullseye, you must first know where to throw the dart.

If you take away anything from this letter, remember these two things:

• Never underestimate the power of people when they are unified around a singular purpose.

• We’ve got it in us and are capable of much, much more than we think.

Alright, that is all that I have for you today.

Cliff