Here President Kennedy directly asks his
audience "not merely to serve one year or two years in the service", but be
willing "to contribute part of your life to this country." This is a concept of service that in
my opinion goes far beyond any sort of elective office, volunteerism, or
charity.
He gave a glimpse of the necessary set of values in
his Executive Order starting the Peace Corps. On March 1, 1961, he said:
"The initial reactions to the Peace Corps proposal
are convincing proof that we have, in this country, an immense reservoir of
such men and women--anxious to sacrifice their energies and time and toil to
the cause of world peace and human progress.
"In establishing our Peace Corps we intend to make full use of the resources and talents of private institutions and groups ...making it clear that the responsibility for peace is the responsibility of our entire society 'sharing in the great common task of bringing to man that decent way of life which is the foundation of freedom and a condition of peace.'" [iii]
Here President Kennedy sets forth
a vision of service that is the responsibility of our entire society, and that
is not partisan or ideological. I first
heard these words with the limited comprehension of a child. I now believe I
understand what this proposal really meant.
It was his very modest suggestion, encapsulated in this new experimental
program called "The Peace Corps," that service could be a way of life for all.
The New Citizenship: Service as a Way of Life
In everyday life, every
single person has the power to change the world. This fact is the very essence of The Peace Corps. The New Citizen lives by this fact.
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