Editorial November 30, 1987 Issue

How big is your neighborhood?

Michael D. Rissler

When we're very young, our neighborhood circle is small. It may be only as large as our own home and a house or two on either side. The first day at school widens that circle tremendously. There are a lot of different experiences that extend our concept of the world in which we live.

Berlin, Johannesburg, Bogota, Bombay, might all have remained just names had it not been for the people I've met who live in those cities. One friend's death in a war zone overseas gave pungent meaning to that part of the world for me. Another friend from another country has had a lasting influence I didn't anticipate.

This friend was an exchange student. We've stayed in touch ever since high school through correspondence. Although we've not seen each other in person since then, over the years there has seldom been a time when I haven't thought about her family and her country.

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