They say necessity is the mother of invention. Perhaps that’s why, after such American exceptionalism in the 20th century, we’ve sunk into a rut. We proved (if not to the world then to ourselves) that we’re the greatest nation on Earth–and we’ve since grown complacent.

For myself and the rest of my generation, the front page storylines we’ve grown up with have always read of the pettiness of politics, fear of violence, and destruction–of habitats, species and the Earth.

My parents tell me this wasn’t the case for their generation. I hear how life was simpler before, and safer. Our parents watched wide-eyed as Walter Cronkite announced a “giant leap for mankind” and our grandparents proudly cheered as Americans returned home victorious from World War II. And today? Well, we’re most awe-struck staring at a new iPhone.

Now, I’m in no way condoning war. What I am upholding though is the dedication, drive and unity that went into those defining moments of 20th century American history, qualities that today are apparently as reclusive/nonexistent as Bigfoot. I see a way out of this slump, but first let me jump back some 50 years.

The year is 1962 and America finds itself in “an hour of change and challenge, in a decade of hope and fear.” Amid the breakneck pace of scientific progress, “it is not surprising that some would have us stay where we are a little longer to rest,” says John F. Kennedy Jr. in his famous speech stating America’s goal to put a man on the moon by decade’s end.

As in all things, there are those who disagree and those who rightfully ask why. Our President responds: we do these things “not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills.”

But I digress. Fast forward to 2015, and we find ourselves in a similar spot. The difference: no Soviet Union nipping at our heels. In other words, there’s space but no race, and therein lies the problem. Without some direct threat to our country (be it to our safety or more likely our image), there’s no reason for hawks in congress or fiscal conservatives to act on an idea like mine–making a manned mission to Mars a top priority.

That is, until China puts a rover on Mars or Vladimir Putin attempts to “annex” the red planet, many of our politicians will contentedly cut NASA funding; after all the economy is more important, ISIS more pressing and the abuse of executive action more urgent, they say. On America’s to-do list, putting a man on Mars will be the last item to get checked off.

These are important issues–issues that require our time, money, and thought. But I’d rather not find out what happens if our complacency gets the better of us. I’d like America to become a leader once again, and on something other than a joint military force.

Currently, there are many proposals to step foot on Mars, all of which have ETAs of around 2030. NASA says it will get around to it in a decade or two. A Dutch non-profit, MarsOne, wants to establish a permanent colony. Tesla founder Elon Musk says his second company, SpaceX, will release a timetable in the coming months.

The multitude of plans is encouraging news, but years from now, the rocket that takes off for the 140,000,000-mile journey should be emblazoned with that iconic red, white and blue NASA seal. If you want to unify a country, you need a public project–an organization for the people–not a private business.

An astronomer, climate scientist, biologist, geologist or basically anyone in a scientific field could list the possible benefits of a trip to Mars. We’d learn more about Earth’s composition and history, potentially find out about conditions suitable for extraterrestrial life, and the technologies that NASA develops will eventually come to benefit many aspects of civilian life.

Though it will undoubtedly cost billions, it might be cheaper than you think; last year’s entire European Space Agency mission (which landed a 220-pound probe on a comet only slightly larger than Whitman’s grounds and moving at about 84,000 miles per hour) cost less than a single modern submarine. Sending a man or woman to Mars and returning them home safely could be the jump-start this country needs. It will do so economically, albeit the effects may be limited. A Mars mission will create thousands of jobs and stimulate the economy, especially so in particular states like Florida and Texas.

But I believe we go to Mars for something more than solely scientific reasons.

Allow me to rewind once more, this time to a different seminal event of exploration. George Mallory, who was later to die attempting to summit Everest in 1924, was once asked why he would want to subject himself to that risk.

“People ask me, ‘What is the use of climbing Mount Everest?’,” Mallory said. “Oh, we may learn a little about the behaviour of the human body at high altitudes, and possibly medical men may turn our observation to some account for the purposes of aviation. But otherwise nothing will come of it… If you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won’t see why we go.”

This, above all, is why we must go to Mars. They say my generation is disenchanted but I just think we’re waiting for some motivation. We go because it will inspire a generation of dreamers, and that is something that is desperately needed.

I want America to have some guts again. I want a politician not afraid to push this onto the forefront of people’s minds, not relegate it as an afterthought. America should get serious about putting a man on Mars, because in this time of complacency, what our nation needs is simply something to do and something we can get behind together. Let’s send a message. Let’s move forward. Let’s unite. Let’s inspire.

Why go to Mars? Because we’re explorers, and it’s out there.

Ethan Taswell is a guest writer for The Black & White.