This is why I travel.
With all of the chaos and darkness that has happened the past week, I’ve found myself sad. Just really sad. I couldn’t shake the hurt and heartache that I felt for the victims of the Boston bombing. I was deeply troubled by those that lost their lives and were injured in the Texas explosion. The headlines were full of atrocities that not only happened in the U.S., but also abroad. Earthquakes have torn families apart, bombs have taken life and limbs, and others continue the daily struggle of life. I don’t understand the darkness in the world and I doubt I ever will.
This is why travel is so crucial. Even when the world seems so sinister and cold, I know that there’s good out there, I’ve seen it. Not just on the TV. I know that beauty, love, and kindness is out there. Everywhere. Whether it’s people running towards a bomb in order to help the injured, or a young man offering up his seat for an elderly woman on a bus, good acts happen on the daily. And you know? That’s not going to stop.
I’ve been witness to these acts at home and abroad, by people of all nationalities and religions. From Seattle to Islamabad, we’re more alike than you think. We all laugh, we all love, we all hurt, we all bleed, we all grieve but I know with the same certainty that the sun will rise in the morning, that good will prevail, even in darkness.
Same for me. The more you get to know cultures nothing like your own, the more you realize that most people just want a decent, happy life. The more people get out there, the more they come to realize that.
Exactly! We all have so much in common. Travel has shown us so much.
Very touching…I don’t understand the atrocities that we inflict on each other throughout the world, but I agree…when we travel, we experience the highs and lows of cultures, and we see the goodness that is out there! Good will prevail!
Definitely! We’ve been so fortunate to be able to witness those highs… and even the lows.
Very well written.
Thank you.
A beautiful piece. You are absolutely right that travel is a window that lets us see that we are all the same. I wouldn’t trade my experiences with people around the world for anything.
Likewise. It’s given us such a sense of hope.
It’s so true… I remember feeling a similar sense of despair and sadness that I couldn’t’ shake in 2008 when there was a brutal beheading and murder on a bus just outside my hometown… so many things happened that year and I remember feeling the way you do… And then… yes, you turn to travel and all the things that remind us that there is good in the world, and that will never change. 🙂 Hugs from Canada. x
Yes, we remember hearing about that. It is so hard to shake those feelings but I’ll be forever grateful for the beauty and love that I’ve seen through travel. It’s nice to know that we both have that in common. 🙂
Way to put the past week in a positive perspective. We must continue to do what we do or the terrorists have won and for us that is travel. In fact, I am going out and continue to train for the Chicago Marathon undeterred by the past week.
Love it. If anything, the past week has encouraged us to get out more. We don’t want to be afraid to go to movie theaters, schools, churches, marathons, etc. That’s how evil wins. We look forward to hearing about your training. You’re going to do great!
Same for me. There is a lot of good out there, way more than evil and darkness, and times like this really do show our strengths, not weaknesses.
I feel the exact same way! Beautifully said and so true. I love this and the two of you. xx
DITTO. bad things happen all over the world. it’s awful how a few rotten humans can be so cruel to so many good ones. BUT there’s way more goodness than bad. i wish the news would cover that more often. i’m in love with the human race & hope to meet as many people in this great world as possible. for me, that’s the best part of traveling. meeting amazing people.
It is indeed a beautiful piece. I love it, my friend. As someone who was born in another country, we all crave for the same ….peace and happiness. Travel does give you that perspective and let one realized we are one and the same…..humans. The world is a beautiful place and goodness abounds everywhere. Don’t forget, It’s a beautiful world.
Preach on, my friend. Discovering my love for travel has had a profound impact on my life and who I am. There’s not much that can do that.
Well said! This is what I keep tellling my students (and myself) when they question the safety of their world that seems to be changing at each passing tragic event. There are more good people in this world then bad people. That the good people are everywhere, in every country/city/town/farm/home and that in the hard times we come together.
yes yes yes. the silver lining to such a terrible, frustrating week is the number of people who step forward to show that there’s much more good than bad in the world. we just need to keep paying it forward! xoxo
“We’re more alike than you think” so perfectly sums up the reason we travel. And the flipside is that travel opens your eyes to the way others live. If you’ve grown up in the first world, it’s easy to forget that there are those who are much, much less fortunate, and it’s good to see this. At the end of the day though, the world is full of good things and good people, it’s just that the bad eggs get the headlines too often 🙁 great post and thanks for sharing.
I lost my debit card and was completely stuck without money. A traveler just gave me $100 without expecting or wanting it back. Told me to pay it forward. Moments like that warm my heart.
Really superb post. Great to read this!!!
So true. When we travel we can seem the beauty in the world. Frankly, we should look for that beauty even when we don’t travel…
I travel to see the world as people make it, not as the news displays it. There were tons of horrible things going on at once and it is really sad. My brother just missed being beside the bombing by an hour and it made my insides churn once I found that out. At the exact same time, there were tons of beautiful things happening in the world and most of it never gets noticed. I feel that I have seen and experienced more goodness from traveling than I did living back home. I find that people are people and traveling helps me to see the the intangible words that everyone craves like love, appreciation, kindness, and happiness.
Even I agree with you that travel is actually very crucial. Very touching post. Keep going