What Ann Schodde Believes
I believe you should make your home the center, but not the boundary of your world.
My father shared that thought with me long ago and it continues to resonate with me today. When my brother and I were growing up, home was synonymous with a place full of extended relatives, friends, and neighbors. We cherished our times spent with those we loved and cared for the most, but were always encouraged to seek out the world around us; to explore beyond our comfort zone to learn from others.
In this new century of global interdependence I believe all of us - every citizen diplomat - must reach out beyond our comfortable "centers" to exchange ideas and beliefs with those who come from different homes and cultures than our own, which is the essence of global citizenship.