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Sunday, March 16, 2003 America's Stagnation and Sir Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake. Credit: Marucs Gheeraerts the Younger Sir Francis Drake, hero of the English navy and the second man to circumnavigate the globe, spent the final years of his life in the service of God. I recently read a prayer attributed to Drake and I feel that it is a metaphor for America's stagnation and our satisfaction with mediocrity. Here is a portion of that prayer, written in 1577: Disturb us, Lord, when We are too well pleased with ourselves, When our dreams have come true Because we have dreamed too little, When we arrived safely Because we sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, Lord, when With the abundance of things we possess We have lost our thirst For the waters of life; Having fallen in love with life, We have ceased to dream of eternity. Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, To venture on wider seas Where storms will show your mastery; Where losing sight of land, We shall find the stars. We ask You to push back The horizons of our hopes; And to push into the future In strength, courage, hope, and love. On to Mars. @ 13:32 EST