(Photo by © Brandon Elijah Scott / Eye & Pen)
Through my years of traveling the world, I’ve learned countless lessons and recognized numerous themes that connect all human beings, no matter the country or culture. I’ve found that there are certain inherent tendencies that most people have in common, like that of good will towards others. While Western societies have shown to separate communities by the development of social tiers and for the fear of security – I’ve witnessed firsthand, more times than I can count, that most people of this world, no matter their origin or belief, are generally good.
I’m asked all sorts of questions from travelers, people at home, and abroad, and some of the more saddening queries I often receive are the ones where people ask ‘how can you travel safely?’ and ‘aren’t you scared of the people there?’ – when in all actuality, the people make the place, they’re the reason I travel and where I find most of my life-changing experiences.
I’m from the United States, and as I’m sure you may know, Americans are force fed insecurities and are taught fear from a very young age. What that does is separate us from our natural instincts of humility. We automatically learn that what’s mine is mine, and I must shelter what is mine; and I must look out for myself, steering clear of all others, as it’s the only way to maintain a comfortable and secure life. But the world is not meant to be divided into billions of pieces, where the lifestyles of the many are dedicated to the belief: to each their own. This earth is meant to be lived on together and shared with one-another: in one world. For fear binds humans to insecurities, creating a divided line between people... This tears apart the beauty and the connection of community.
At first, traveling the world can seem scary – and sure, scary things can happen to you, but awful experiences happen at home too. But by never letting fear guide your life, or your dreams, you will find that there’s something much more out there worth finding. For if you do let fear dictate your life, you will never truly experience all that this world has to offer. You may never know true beauty and you will never understand true suffering... For knowing true suffering is the key, for without which, one can never unlock the knowledge and the ability of appreciation in the blessing of life and the momentous meaning each breath means.
“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams...” ―Paulo Coelho.
Travel lets you see the good, and the bad; it lets you step out of your comfort zone, and it opens you up; it lets you ditch all judgements and insecurities, and it guides you in growth and understanding; it lets you appreciate each morsel and every experience, and it bleeds your heart for the suffering of others – without the experiences of the world, life becomes stale, stagnant and stereotypical; and this is how hate is promoted, and how bigotry is passed through generations, rather than a product of evolution. Cultivation of acceptance and wisdom, with the graduation of singular thinking to global thinking, (beyond one’s own existence) is what the world needs now – but this is impossible without the understanding of other cultures, people and places.
I’m from the United States, and as I’m sure you may know, Americans are force fed insecurities and are taught fear from a very young age. What that does is separate us from our natural instincts of humility. We automatically learn that what’s mine is mine, and I must shelter what is mine; and I must look out for myself, steering clear of all others, as it’s the only way to maintain a comfortable and secure life. But the world is not meant to be divided into billions of pieces, where the lifestyles of the many are dedicated to the belief: to each their own. This earth is meant to be lived on together and shared with one-another: in one world. For fear binds humans to insecurities, creating a divided line between people... This tears apart the beauty and the connection of community.
At first, traveling the world can seem scary – and sure, scary things can happen to you, but awful experiences happen at home too. But by never letting fear guide your life, or your dreams, you will find that there’s something much more out there worth finding. For if you do let fear dictate your life, you will never truly experience all that this world has to offer. You may never know true beauty and you will never understand true suffering... For knowing true suffering is the key, for without which, one can never unlock the knowledge and the ability of appreciation in the blessing of life and the momentous meaning each breath means.
“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams...” ―Paulo Coelho.
Travel lets you see the good, and the bad; it lets you step out of your comfort zone, and it opens you up; it lets you ditch all judgements and insecurities, and it guides you in growth and understanding; it lets you appreciate each morsel and every experience, and it bleeds your heart for the suffering of others – without the experiences of the world, life becomes stale, stagnant and stereotypical; and this is how hate is promoted, and how bigotry is passed through generations, rather than a product of evolution. Cultivation of acceptance and wisdom, with the graduation of singular thinking to global thinking, (beyond one’s own existence) is what the world needs now – but this is impossible without the understanding of other cultures, people and places.
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