Friday, December 28, 2007

International Student Hall of Fame.

I just read this article in the Washington Post about Benazir Bhutto.

I will ignore the assassination for a moment to talk about the first few paragraphs of the article. The images of Benazir Bhutto as a young coed are priceless. It brings to mind the stories of so many young international students that come here to study with such tremendous feeling of mission to their country.

While most American college students worry about loans, relationships, and parties, many of our international students are balancing fears of elections abroad, safety of their family, and a sense of duty that is barely understandable the average American teenager.

I've been chatting with friends recently about how that sense of mission is either present in students or it is not... it's not the kind of thing that can be developed. I think some people - international or not - get so distracted by the accumulation of wealth, fame or power, that they miss the step of developing their personal mission - and missing that step can keep them from being their truly integrated self.

I'm not certain that I feel so strongly about anything that I would be willing to barrel myself into a maelstrom that might get me killed, but I do admire those that see no alternative and do exactly that courageously and unapologetically. I know many of the people that I know and love are working very hard to make the world a better place. I hope that I can help them. (And more so than just eulogizing them)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Gostei muito desse post e seu blog é muito interessante, vou passar por aqui sempre =) Depois dá uma passada lá no meu site, que é sobre o CresceNet, espero que goste. O endereço dele é http://www.provedorcrescenet.com . Um abraço.