"I Could Never Do That!"

During the spring of 2004, when I was telling my friends that I was coming out to Micronesia for three years, the most common reaction was, "Wow! I could never do that!" It made me wonder, what couldn't they do? Sit on an airplane for a few hours? Meet new people? Have new adventures?

But recently I think I have learned what it is that they couldn't do. They couldn't give up the luxuries and conveniences of their lives. Luxury has to be one of the most addictive things in the world, and it is hard to give up once you have it.

And living in the U.S., even if you are not rich, is luxurious. You never have to be bored because there is always TV, movies, bowling, theater, live music, you name it! Everything is air conditioned. Heck, you don't even need to walk up stairs because there's always an elevator or an escalator.

Nevertheless, it doesn't seem like such a huge sacrifice to give up those things, because in giving them up, you get a lot more in return: close friends and lots of exercise! Without the constant bombardment of stimulation, I am getting to know myself more than ever before, and there is a lot that I like and a lot that I don't like.

Perhaps that is why people say that they could never come out and have an adventure like this: they are afraid of what they might discover about themselves.