Quote Originally Posted by Entropy View Post
This is an idea I've thought about for about four years now. I'm not sure what did it, but "community" became a much bigger part of my my future goals than it once was. It used to just be a nice place to live, with all the amenities I was looking for. Now it's mostly about people.
I think this sums up the sentiments of a lot of folks. As I was trying to make my own decision, I thought about how I'd gone from one village where the neighbors were trying to kill each other to another community where folks come together on Saturdays to listen to bluegrass and shop at a local farmer's market. The differences were striking and deeply effected me.

Teaching is one way to engage the community. It won't be right for everyone, but it is a good fit for me. My wife had asked me what I really wanted to do next. As I thought about it, I replied, "I want to be a stalwart within the community." Sounds corny, but it's true.

One fascinating point that I just figured out is that the students entering high school this year were born around 1998. Think about that. 9/11 is a distant memory. The Cold War is ancient history.