Hello, World

A dramatic difference. A vacuous line from a TV ad campaign. And while I recognize that they use the phrase like a platitude, a "deep thought" to sell TV shows, it nonetheless resonates with me. I want to make a dramatic difference. I want to actively make the world a better place. It sounds just as hollow when I say it, because no one knows exactly how to do it.

How, then, do you change the world? Join the Peace Corps? Give money? Work in Washington trying to legislate a better world in the face of indifference and corruption? The only way that makes sense to me is by sharing it with people. By seeing the world, its hardship, its wonder, the good, the bad, and making sure everyone knows. Don't stand for indifference. Don't enable people to pretend that they aren't part of it all.

For a time, I tried living that way, ignoring the world, not engaging. I was suffering not indifference but overwhelment. I struggled to cope with the scope of of horror in the world and my impotence in the face of insurmountable problems. So I retreated. I stopped reading the news, stopped worrying about the big picture, stopped trying to find a way to act. But I can't do that anymore either. I reject isolationism, hoping that because it isn't happening to me, it's not my problem. I want to do more.

Still, the nagging question, cycling through my thoughts, day and night: How? My solution is both straight forward and complicated. I need to find a career that facilitates or enables my philanthropic need. A great idea, but difficult to achieve. The career I've chosen is to be a writer. Specifically, a travel food journalist, which would allow me to pursue my personal interests, while allowing a forum to share with the world. It would enable me to see the world, including places that need aid and give me a chance to provide it.

So, that is my mission. This is my forum. A place to practice, to learn, to share, in hopes that it will prepare me for my grand plan, which is undoubtedly a long road stretching out before me. Wish me luck.

Posted by Kathryn at 6:23 PM