Monday, April 23, 2007

Washington D.C. Trip



So, last week from April 15th to the 17th, I was lucky enough to be one of about forty Harvard students to visit our nation's capital. It was a trip sponsored by our infamous Institute of Politics, and it was really, really well run. And it only cost me fifty bucks, which was a steal because they definitely spent hundreds of dollars on our nice train tickets, our nice hotel, our nice meals, etc.

Anyways, the biggest highlight of the trip was an intimate conversation with Senator Kennedy, who gave us about 40 minutes of his time and was immediately followed by Sen. Culver, whose son also happens to be the governor of a key primary state, Iowa. Anyways, what I found most inspiring about this conversation was that Sen. Kennedy talked a lot about public service, and what it means to be of service. That got me thinking, and I've thought about it before, and I've thought a lot about it sense, about the meaning of why we're here. I mean, Keynes famously stated that, "in the long run, we're all dead." Which is true. But also, if you've think about the progression of human civilization, it wasn't because people who made us who we are now faded away once they died, into the dust. No, they didn't disappear. They are still with us, because we constantly think of them. They could be universally loved, such as Socrates or Martin Luther King, Jr. They could even be physical statements of grandeur and possibilities, such as the Pyramids of Egypt and the Golden Gate Bridge. Or they can be personally meaningful that no one else might understand, such as our ancestors and close friends. We are who we are, because these people will exist for us, and they will exist in the future to because of the people who carry on their legacy, because these people including us have the possibliity to exist forever. And public service, beginning with personal service unto others such as with families, etc., is the start of that wonderful eternity.

Anyways, I got my copy of the Constitution signed and my picture taken with Sen. Culver, take that.

Unfortunately we had to cancel our appointment with John Ashcroft because we were running behind for our first event. Great trip. Other highlights included a tour of the House of Representative chambers with Phil Sharpe, and I won't ever forget first hearing about the Virginia Tech shootings from Sen. Kennedy (we were isolated from news outlets, and he quite seriously but somewhat casually mentioned alongside his conversation some examples of the importance of education, and then mentioned VT, and I was a little confused at first), and then turning ont he news that evening and being shocked by the horrors. In any event, the trip was a real eye opener, and really inspiring. Oh yes, I met an awesome Washington Post editor during a dinner, and she recommended me a book which I'm reading, titled They Marched Into the Sunlight, and we also got to hear a conversation with the famed Ben Bradlee, managing editor and VP at large of the Washington Post. Simply amazing. Oh, we also saw a notable author or two on the train, and a few senators during our lunch at the senate offices.