I saw Hotel Rwanda last night, and it made me think about how I’m living this luxurious, fairly meaningless life while people are suffering. I don’t want to be a person who ignores the rest of the world and is content with her SUV and her TiVo. It’s actually fairly easy for me to put the blinders on and become completely absorbed in my own little life. But on a fairly regular basis, I read a book or see a movie that really makes me reevaluate my lifestyle. I think that’s real art- stuff that makes you reconsider who you are and where you’re going.

I am very comfortable and incredibly rich compared to most of the world. I’m a middle-class white girl with good SAT scores and college educated parents who value education. Not only am I going to a fancy private college next year, my sister is going to a fancy private high school. We’ll both be on financial aid, yes, but we’re not getting anything close to free rides. Because I have so much, I feel like I need to give something back to the world. I can’t just accept that I’m better off than everyone else, and ignore their pain. I can’t be one of the people standing by and not doing anything.

And that’s why I’ve decided to join the Peace Corps when I graduate from college.

This relates, but I’m having a hard time explaining why:
One of my goals is to live consciously. I don’t want to go through the motions of life. I want to perform every task, make every decision, with knowledge of the meaning and consequences of my actions. I want to do everything on purpose. I think that that’s my path to spiritual fulfillment.