I've been seeing a lot of blogs lately telling young people to travel with the reasoning 'you may not have time later on in life'. That is a marginally true statement, but somewhat presumptuous.
I've been pondering lately why it is I don't really care much to travel even though most of my friends have traveled, are traveling or planning a trip. When people have asked why that is I am never satisfied with my own answer. I think I have one I am satisfied with now.
The world is beautiful and that is true, but what is far more deep, what is far more mysterious and often untouched is the human soul. I have found when talking to people about their traveling experiences they talk more about how the experience made them feel than the experience itself and I believe that is something I would prefer to share with someone than alone. If given the choice of exploring the rockies alone, a place I would really like to visit, and staying home in my little east coast corner of the state of New South Wales I would choose staying home, not because I am a home-body, but because I believe the best experiences are the ones that you share with those you care about. Perhaps this is easy for me to say because where I live I am surrounded by natural beauty, but I have found even the mundane is beautiful if you will take a moment to acknowledge the people around you.
The world is an amazing place, but if I was the last person on earth that beauty would be meaningless to me. I hear that some people travel to 'find themselves' and I have to be honest I don't know how they lost their body. I can understand wanting to leave and explore and get out of their small town with its monotonous routines, but I do not believe personal growth is a matter of location. This is where my real annoyance is directed.
To say that this time in my life is the only time of my life where I will be available to travel is a restricting assumption at best and completely devoid of context. The cliche 'life is too short' seems to me to be a phrase that is used by people who never enjoy the moment. Life is long, if you would just sit and enjoy the moments you have with the people you care about.
I will have my time to travel, and by no means am I saying 'don't travel' I am simply saying don't feel pressured or anxious because you are not. Be content, be patient and trust your decisions.
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