I can't count how many Americans and Zambians have told me how brave I am for becoming a Peace Corps Volunteer, moving to a remote African village on an often misunderstood continent, dedicating 2 years of my life to a people in a place far from my home. In truth, I don't feel brave. Most of the time I lock myself inside my hut as soon as it gets dark because I'm afraid of meeting my cobra neighbors.
Maybe PCVs don't realize they possess an uncommon courage no present in others. What we do, while out of the ordinary, doesn't seem strange or selective. Perhaps we have gene DRD4-7R that is linked to restlessness and curiosity in 20% of the population (http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/01/125-restless-genes/dobbs-text). We don't see ourselves as unique or brave, though I think every volunteer would admit that the experience certainly is.
Maybe there is something within us that provides a sense of longing for experiencing the unknown or something new and novel. Certainly my friends in the states never understood my desire to hop trains of free-dive with great white sharks. I'm sure they were even more confused when my reasons for deciding not to do these things had more to do with the fact that trains really are quite noisy and I get mini panic attacks when trying to breath through a snorkel and not with the dangers inherent in such acts as train hopping and diving with sharks.
So, when people tell me how brave I am, I am always at a loss for words, puzzled by what leads them to say such things. While PC is not for everyone, I'm a firm believer that anyone can be brave and achieve amazing feats. You don't have to live in a hidden corner of the earth to be courageous. Courage is within all of us and bravery is when we rise to meet the challenges that await us. So I say cheers to everyone because while you may think I'm brave, I think you are equally so.
No comments:
Post a Comment