What are some causes of the Maine “brain drain” (March 15)?

Perhaps we are encouraging our young people to leave Maine.

The first lure to leave is that a young person simply wants to stretch wings, see the world, experience different ways of thinking, away from home influences.

Then there is the fact that education of young Mainers seems to point their minds outside the state as it presents the thinking and accomplishments of those “from away” and Mainers who have left the state.

Third, when a Mainer returns to the state with accomplishments, that return is trumpeted with more fanfare than those at home with similar accomplishments. And it seems that promotion of national figures visiting Maine is far better when compared with that for Mainers who remain in the state.

The Maine low-key way of life is not exciting, even as it is humanly rich, and thus hard to promote. Right now we see many Mainers working to erase that low-key lifestyle as they seek to join the state to the modern world, the way of life outside the state, thus changing what is rich and human here.

Fifth is the point that our Maine culture is overwhelmed by the national culture presented on television, films and other media. Young Mainers grow up with this media culture so may naturally think their home culture is provincial, backward, when compared to that national culture.

So, I wonder if we are encouraging young Mainers to leave the state.

Tom Fallon, Rumford