I have had the chance lately to meet some people who made of traveling a style of live..seen and lived so many things apart from what was their ordinary life..
And I also have met quite often some friends who spent most of their life reading..and of course have gathered a lot of knowledge.
Both parties argued that the way they get to know the world is the best.. I have only one comment to make.. What stroke me..was the difference in the way they saw and acted towards life and people..Especially towards unknown people.. It's obvious that what define us as persons is the way we deal with unexpected situations, not that when we just apply the routine scheme we have learned.
The first group is of course more easy going and open, that' s just natural..But they really succeed applying the motto 'keep it simple'. They see the 'good point' in everything what happens to them much more easily, are more helpful to the others without expecting much in return.. Actually most of this category can do very well on the idea "don't expect anything, just be glad of all the nice things around you".
Those so very fond of reading are more prone to dissect things around them.. to judge and expect more of themselves and the others. Even not noticing they do it. The more they read, the more open minded they think they are.
What I realized -only recently -is that when you re reading ( no matter how bright the author is or how smart the book)..the world opens to you..but it's not the world everybody lives in. It's YOUR world.. you have no limits, the limit is only your imagination..you can create as much as you wish..No factors of control beyond your reason.
But YOU are always subjective..
That's why I think we need the others to define ourselves and our concept of the way we wanna live.
The fact that we go to a totally new place, meet new ways of behaving and thinking has a huge impact also on the way the mind is functioning.
I mean 'travel' as a way of interacting with people and situations, learning and helping those you happen to meet. Not 'travel' like going to a 5* hotel for a week and only speaking with waiters in restaurants ordering fancy meals.
Actually I read about a person - quite rich banker in Northen Europe- who gave up his job and his posh way of life to experiment what he called 'real life' and wished even to meet homeless people and live like them on the streets for a while. That seem somehow far fetched to me, but it's his option..And I m sure that after that, he will be wiser and more content of what he's owing back home..It's impressive how often we forget to cherish things we have and get used to them. Not bad to remember it from time to time..
So, returning to my initial idea..It seems like the 'traveler' type can reach or get closer to the state of 'happy life' we all dream of..because it's again..not about how much you can gather, but how much you can give up to in order to be happy..It's neither about the 'lazy thinker' type of persons...who can readily live with pizza, beer and TV all day, nothing else needed for them to be happy.. But you already know it's not that kind of people I refer to.
My favorite professor from University used to say : "To make a man rich, don't give him fortune, but take away from his wishes" ( it' not his invention, but I associate this phrase with him because of his way of telling us that..In the middle of a 'serious' lecture about nasty germs and lethal infections :))
Traveling can help us not only realize how true this is, but also put us on the right track to reach the final destination. Of the happy end stories.
5 comments:
Using a book as a metaphor, Saint Agustine said, "The world is a book, and those who have not traveled have only read one page." I think he hints that travel opens new geographic horizons- which ultimately can all be seen given enough resources and time, however travel is more than geographic displacement. Travel is about physical AND mental immersion (not just mental immersion, as in a book), that brings new experiences to all the senses because of the the almost endless variety of humanity.
Reading may evoke vicarious emotions from the plight of the protagonist, and may even occasionally provide a richer experience than that of the traveler, depending on the imagination of the reader, but in the end, there is always a plot that is systematically followed. Travel, in the purest sense, has no plot! There are endless trails that spur out from the one intended- some comfortable, and others not. Each chapter bringing epiphany and self discovery such as when you discover inner fortitude that helps you overcome being hopelessly lost; or experiencing the thrill and the adventure of the serendipitous discovery; or the joy of of a chance encounter with someone interesting, bright, and wonderful.
I would be grateful if anybody commenting revealed his identity..It has more impact that way, don't you think so? I have a clue, though :) How's your trip progressing?
If it's for open-mindness, travelling a lot makes you more accustomed with meeting people and getting some juice out of them real fast, but you'll never know them really good and also you'll learn less from them than from a book written on that particular subject.
I see travelling challenging for the fact that you have to be prepared to handle no matter what random situations you get yourself in, not that you may meet a lot of people. A salesman also is very open-minded in this sense, except that he has a business to discuss.
In the end you need both to read and to travel, along with some physical sport and a job.
Check this: http://xkcd.com/77/
Yes, perhaps a comment might have more impact if the identity is known. But sometimes a little mystery adds spice don't you think?
My travels have concluded for the moment, but the memories of the people I have met linger.
Well, remember that I could easily guess whom I wrote to, so not much mistery in that :)..Your english gave you away, not to say anything about the style :) I would be curious where the journey ended..and the impressions?
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