20051230
http://www.foxnews.com/
http://www.cnn.com/
Farris Hassan is a brave and dedicated young man, and in being such, he stands as a good example for the rest of us Americans. As I posted recently, our general lackadaisical, disinterested approach to life- desireless, I think- compromises our ability to remain on the leading edge as the most powerful nation on the planet.
Then along comes young Hassan, fresh off of a private school lesson on immersive journalism, a lesson he apparently took to heart. He decided he wanted to write an essay in support of the democratization of Iraq, and he felt that he could only do so by going there and seeing what the process was like.
Therein lies the greatest determination and dedication I have seen recently described in a young person in this country. Many will be critical of this young man’s adventure, but I applaud this adventure because, while it dangerous, it also showed that this young man understood the nature of what he was doing.
This is not to suggest that all of our sixteen year olds should go off to war zones as freelance reporters looking for stories, but properly channeled, this kind of will can build our nation and repair great parts of what we have lost in effort and desire.
Farris Hassan stands as an example to all of us for doing something that we believe in and in taking great and sometimes permanent risks to do so. This is the kind of will we must find a way to instill into our children and rebuild in ourselves.
DLH
From Iraq the Model
DLH