A long time ago, 41 years ago to be exact, my wife and I returned from our Peace Corps service to rejoin American society. I remember one of my parents' friends in Bay City, Michigan, asking me, after I explained to him that we had been in Afghanistan, whether he was correct in assuming that "that's out near Arizona, right?"
Not right, I gently explained, but half a world away.
Sometimes, I think it is hard for those outside of this big, rich country to truly understand just what an unsophisticated, parochial culture ours truly is. Not on the coasts, but in our great Midwest and South.
On the coasts, we pride ourselves on being aware of the global realities that truly limit America's aspirations and power, outside of our military might, which is also finite, unless we choose to bomb the planet into a wasteland.
But in our heartland, my heartland, we Americans still don't get it. We do not understand how rich we are in comparison with the rest of the world, or why, or how that is not going to be the case for our children.
And that is the fatal flaw of our politicians. Forget Democrats and forget Republicans. What we need are truth-tellers. The future will be more level than Americans have enjoyed post-WW2.
-30-
1 comment:
would love to hear more about your time in the Peace Corps
Post a Comment