The Value of Travel

A few things I've noticed among the few supporters I know -- and many I don't -- of the current administration (and, yes, I'm sure I could have phrased that better) are that they don't have good critical thinking skills, they are not highly educated, and they have not traveled much. I have always believed that travel is a great form of education. It's the best way to learn geography and world cultures, and it's hard to sustain hatred and fear of entire groups of people when you've spent time with them and seen that they are, in many ways, like you. The ways in which they aren't like you are superficial. No matter our nationality, we all love our children; we want to be good and nice; we are proud of where we live. Just like in our own country, those things don't hold true for every single person, but I really believe that it's true overall.

The fear-mongering against a certain group of people by our current adminstration -- and of course this is not the first to do it -- feeds best on the minds of the unenlightened, of those who think life is a matter of "us versus them." How sad. It's sad in the short term for those people; if they are afraid and made to stay afraid they will never experience all the wonder the world has to offer. It's sad in the long term for future generations, and also for the targets of that hatred. I learned a long time ago, though, that hatred hurts the hater much more than the hater. It is poison that burns away one's soul.

I consider myself to have good critical thinking skills (and it's one of the most important topics I teach in any and all of my classes), but I too am sometimes caught up in the fear. It has given me second thoughts about the vacation I'm about to take, but I will not give in to it. If anything happens, I will know that I went into my trip knowing the risks and choosing to go anyway. (I just saw on tonight's news that Russia "accidently" bombed Turkey, which is not far from where I'm going.) I'd rather risk something to gain so much more. Two weeks from tomorrow I will return home, having had many great adventures and experiences. I could stay home and be fairly certain I'd be safe, or I could venture out into the world and not be sure of anything except seeing beautiful things and meeting wonderful people I would not have seen or met at home. I'm willing to roll the dice. (I'm into my four-day countdown!)