Sixteen-year old American girl Abby Sunderland set out alone in a boat earlier this year, attempting to circumnavigate the globe alone. She ran into rough seas in the Indian Ocean, and became temporarily lost and stranded. She was located, and has now been rescued by a French fishing vessel.
I know that an expedition like this isn’t for every sixteen year old girl, but I think her effort was admirable. Criticism directed at her parents is overdone, and is just so much fuss from dull scolds. See, for example the clucking of Joel Achenbach at the Washington Post (“I will let one of my kids sail solo around the world the day I let my ancient cat Phoebe drive my Honda.”)
Achenbach is free to choose for his own child, but he’s wrong to assume his timid approach should apply to all children.
Achenbach’s not alone, of course. There are lots of people who fuss about what’s acceptable, appropriate, and proper, and thereby they take all the adventure, excitement and grand dreams out of life. A neo-Victorian world is not, and should never be, for us. Those values didn’t build great nation; they hardened the arteries of a formerly successful people, slowly squandering what they had achieved a century earlier.
I see that search and rescue crews reportedly found Sunderland in great spirits. I hope that proves to be true; she should be in great spirits, having attempted something worthy and remarkable. I hope just as much, by the way, that she tries again.