Off to Japan

I have been pleased with the response to my monthly blog posts dealing with writing and publishing. I have gotten some great feedback.

I am taking a detour toward the personal today, but will circle back to publishing. My youngest son moved to Japan to teach English as a second language. It is a one year commitment but likely to turn into two or three years. Gulp.

It is an exciting adventure and I know he will thrive. I, on the other hand, will miss seeing him terribly. But as Kurt Vonnegut says, "So it goes."

Three lessons I have taken out of his preparation and eventual move these past months.

First, my father fought in World War II in the Pacific theater. It is hard warming that in three generations, that we have gone from fighting to embracing cultural exchange. Perhaps the arc of the moral universe is long, and is bending toward justice.

Second, the world is not getting flat, it truly is flat at this point. Many countries are working towards a level playing field; toward equality and equity. While Japan has long been a developed country, many other Asian and African countries have similar language and exchange programs which benefits everyone.

Finally, the digital world has made me be able to communicate with him as much as we each want to/have time for. Yes, Facebook and others need to reform their ways, but our digital world is making the world smaller which has produced more good opportunities (in my mind) then bad.

Best wishes to my son Peter and to all those people out in the world bringing us closer.