In a couple of months, my son will join the ranks of those who have chosen to serve in the Peace Corps and though the world seems more cynical, he is not. He believes in the power of individuals to make a difference in places most Americans will never visit or even hear about. For two years and three months, in jobs that will change him for sure, he will engage in national service on an international scale, somewhere in East Asia, somewhere on the water. I admire his willingness to undertake what will surely be an elating and extremely challenging set of experiences. It takes courage and heart to join the Peace Corps and be successful in it. He has that in abundance. It is definitely not about the money--time enough to work on that for the rest of his life.
What does it mean when you raise a child to think of him or herself as part of the larger world and not only a citizen of a specific country? Surely it means that when they leave home they will likely leave thousands of miles and scores of countries between you--not a comforting thought to an aging parent But how can I object in any way? My husband and I set the play in motion through scores of excursions outside the U.S., countless meals and adventures with people not from "here." and early and continuous exposure to volunteering to help people in other countries with so much less materially than we are used to, but sometimes so much more otherwise. That's just who we are and the way we have chosen to live and out of those choices another choice has been made.
Congratulations Thomas. You are now an official citizen of a world that needs you and thousands like you. Here's to the world's practical idealists and to the Peace Corps. May they continue to thrive.
