I am renewing my passport this week, which I have had for just under 10 years.  Every page is now filled with visa stamps from various places around the world.

The first stamp came on Nov 26, 1998. My first trip to London, and opportunity to practice my Austin Powers accent. Last trip on this passport, I guess, will have been our Germany trip in February of this year.  Only one country used a sticker, Japan, instead of a stamp.  I have three stamps in Arabic, from two separate trips to Tunisia. One trip was for business, one getting lost with my cousin in a massive souk. I thought that might have been my last stamp, but, alas, it was not.  The most stamps came from the United States (upon re-entry), the most from another country was from the UK (18 entries).

Most of the time, flying to Europe does not guarantee a stamp in the passport anymore, which is a bit of a shame. It’s nice to have that momento of leaving home and returning - and the sound of stamp as the “welcome here” and “welcome home”.

Passports are interesting in that, no matter how far from home you are, Uncle Sam reminds you of who you are - of what you are. And just like that stern, stoic uncle, he reminds you of the rules: don’t tell another country you want to be in their army. Don’t stand drunken in a bar in Iraq, Cuba, Lybia, or North Korea and renouce your citizenship.  DON’T lose it.

The royal blue US passport is unmistakable from any other nation’s. At times, I concealed mine in a black leather folio, rightly or wrongly, paranoid about my safety. After 9/11, I had a tremendous amount of pride in it and it’s color - as if I was carrying around a mini-flag, flying at half-mast. Over the last couple of years, though, showing it has made me wonder if the examiner looks at me and wonders what part I played in slowly eroding our relationship with their country or their region.

I wonder if people take the time to look at the symbolism of such an important document - the only document acceptable as proof of who you are and where you belong. The fact that the eagle’s head points towards the olive branch, and reminding us that we should do whatever it takes to KEEP it pointed in that direction. The fact that every state is represented in it, showing us that we are more than “from Washington” or “from Colorado”, but that we are “from America”.

And then, as I landed at the passport website of the US State Department, I view the statistics, learning only 20% of our citizens have any chance of relating to this post - because that’s how may of our people have passports issued to them - merely 60 million of almost 300 million. I learn that only 5% of our people have ever used them to explore a country that requires one to get in.  And it becomes apparently clear  why most nations are - rightly or wrongly - annoyed by, agressive towards, or apathetic to us - we rarely show up unless it’s armed and in cammos.

To me, citizen deplomacy has the opportunity to go a long way. All it takes it $60, two photos, and a plane ticket.  Is that so hard?