They say travel changes a person, they say it broadens the mind and makes one more conscious of the world.
I say this is not true for many.
One sees the world through his/her own bias. We gain from our travels what we go forth to seek. People would rather seek what they know, what fits their perspective.
If travel broadened our minds, if we saw the world through different eyes, the world would be so very different.
These prejudices would be disintegrated each time we left our homes, and the masses would be standing for each other instead of against each other no matter religion, race, wealth, gender.
We are the sum of our experiences, our environments, what we consume and the biases conscious or otherwise.
We get what we intend as we set out in the world.
Perhaps this is dependent on the time spent away? Perhaps it is dependent on WHO we travel with to start off. Most often we learn most, particularly about ourselves, when we travel alone and for extended periods of time, months and years away from our safety zone does make a world of difference.
And yet it is still our preconceived ideas and prejudices that determine our view of the world in which we live.
We should travel if we are able to, we should enjoy those travels, create memories, enjoy moments and celebrate them.
But if we are not critical thinkers to start off with, if we are not actively seeking or paying attention to the world around us, if we are not willing to see or hear a different point of view, if we choose ignorance and arrogance every single time, if our travels are purely for the perfect tourist pictures and for our own egos then our travels are merely an accolade for the books, an experience that we can tick off, a business venture that needs to be sought.
Most of the world’s population will not get to travel across the world for holidays, studies and to create global business networks. Most people will never get on a plane or leave villages and towns that they have known their entire lives. And many of those that do are seeking refuge, asylum or leaving their families out of desperation just to put the most basic food on the table.
We take for granted and view our travel and exploration opportunities as a God-given right, rather than the true privilege that it is.
We have missed the value and essence of travel.
We have missed the opportunity to embrace our fellow man. We have missed the opportunity to grow, learn and inspire.
