A Stitch in Haste

Charity begins ... where?

I've known people who served in the Peace Corps. The consensus is that they found the experience very enriching, but they cannot offer any evidence that by the end of their service they helped in any measurable way.
--Commenter "Chris Durnell" at this Marginal Revolution post

In other words, serving in the Peace Corps is an entirely selfish endeavor.

Go figure.

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Another commenter:

My advice as an economist and as a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer is to evaluate an opportunity to be a Volunteer in the same way you would evaluate any other job offer. There are pluses and minuses to any job. Which job is best for you depends on your particular utility function, and you are the best judge of your utility function.

You would think (hope?) that an economist would also mention the concept of "opportunity cost" in a discussion such as this. Oh well... (Though I very much applaud that remark that "you are the best judge of your utility function" -- yay for acknowledging that all tastes and preferences are subjective!)