We are citizens of the world
Everyone needs to travel. When we leave the security of our homes, something magical happens. Almost everyday, we have complete control over our life events. Calendars schedule chunks of time for our work, meals, shopping and play. In this regulated environment, our daily interactions with people remain constant. You have the same barista who gets you the "regular". The same friends you talk to each day. The same types of food that you have grown accustom to. This is not a bad thing. We need an environment that stays constant each day so we can focus on more complex tasks. In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs model, he believed we need to feel a sense of community before we can embark on finding our full potential. We have designed the world to fulfill our needs. But maybe we can allow the world to design us sometimes.
Our view of the world is built from the small bits and pieces that we hear from the news, friends, internet and books. We unconsciously take all these puzzle pieces and construct an opinion because that is all we know. For example, take the country of Afghanistan. Almost immediately, you might think of terrorism, bombs, or Osama bin Laden. The news and internet do a good job highlighting these horrible events and people that are tied to Afghanistan's history. For most people, this is all they know of a country that is rich in culture. It is only when Al Qaeda, came into the country by force and asserted themselves in government, that the country became what we know. Many people don't realize this but assume that the majority of Afghani people support the organization. Our mentality shifts dramatically after just two sentences. We go from hating the whole country for terrorism, to feeling bad for the regular citizens who were subject to Al Qaeda's rule for 30 years.
It took two sentences to change a prejudice much of America and the world shares. Imagine what would happen if everyone took time each year to travel to new places. This is where we allow the world to design us. Without the comfort of our communities at home, traveling forces us to build new ones. Meeting new people leads to ideas impossible to find at home. Our minds expand. The world takes on a sense of abundance. We've separated ourselves into groups of friends, cultures, races, and countries but at the core of what it means to be human, we all have the same desire to build communities around similar people. Maybe travel can be the catalyst to destroy the barriers that separate people from each other. We are not that different.
The universe is a vast space. In fact, there are more stars in the visible universe than there are grains of sand on earth. Our planet is an inconspicuous speck compared to it. Our differences are even smaller. If we are going to travel any further than the edge of earth, lets first get to know the people here.