A novice Monk in the northern city of Luang Prabang, Laos, posed a question to the President and last week he got a reply.
The bright lights of the media are now off, President Obama is just another citizen, but in Laos he is still known as “Lung O”, uncle O, a term of both affection and inclusiveness.
The question and the reply have to do with the idea that one can make something of oneself if one tries really really hard. Of course as the monk knows, geography and luck also play a part.
The correspondence is private, and not shared with the public.
What do you think? Can a son of rice farmers become anything he wants or is luck involved, and geography.