So after an entire Summer without any posting I have returned to you dear readers. My summer was jampacked with travels, troubles, and fun. I will get to all the information about the summer in a different post. The purpose of this post is to display an in-class essay I did in my English class the other day. Its focus is on that of traveling. The essay was written after reading "Why We Travel" by Pico Iyer. I hope that you enjoy the essay. I was very happy with the product I churned out. Please note, it has not been edited. It is pure stream-of-consciousness.
The Freedom of Traveling:
Thoughts on "Why We Travel" by Pico Iyer
Traveling is a passion of many people around the world. Pico Iyer takes note of this and attempts to explain why people do indeed enjoy traveling. The theme which most stood out to me was that of freedom. When traveling to a foreign country you give yourself the ability to start on a blank slate. Forget about the culture you come from and take in everything you can from the culture you are now a part of. Any place you go, no matter how similar you may think it is to your home country, will have stark differences. The freedom you gain by traveling to different worlds is exhilarating. Your mind is open and your senses are nearly overwhelmed. Sights, sounds, and tastes in this new “world” will leave you wondering why you don’t have it in your country. It is important though not to ponder on such thoughts too much. This will lead to you making comparisons and decreases your openness to the new culture. Clearing your mind of all preconceptions allows you to truly learn the new culture and at least partially assimilate yourself to the native population. Showing respect and interest in another’s culture is very exciting for the people of said country. They will teach you, guide you, befriend you, and also look to you for inspiration and knowledge. Such experiences will make your traveling not only more exciting and interesting, but it will be more fulfilling to your mind. These pure cultural experiences broaden your perspective. Throughout my own travels I have learned very much that would not otherwise be experienced should you only go to the museums and fabricated tourist attractions. Show the people that you are interested in them and they will show interest in you. The act of two people of different cultures working together is a truly satisfying experience for both parties. Although my travel list is not long, I found astonishing beauty and contrast while in Germany and Morocco. Both nations are completely different from the United States and have so much to offer to visitors. Freedom is a joy which all should take part in; freedom from typical food, from the same sadistic political news, from sights and smells all too common. The list could be continued endlessly as the more you put in to your traveling pursuits, the more it will return to you in the form of knowledge and uniqueness. Through travel you have the freedom to become another person. Like stated earlier you begin with a blank slate as you enter a new culture. Immediately upon arriving start filling your slate with the immediate sights and sounds. Remember these and treasure these. Find a way to communicate with locals. Seek out where the most authentic food is. Seek out the places that the façade of globalization fails to cover. By writing on a new slate, you learn much about yourself as you react to all new stimuli. You attempt to perceive things differently and change how you act on certain things. The freedom gifted through traveling is the path toward understanding yourself. It is important to realize that the joys and awe of traveling may not always persist. It is not necessary you adopt all practices of a new culture should some be in conflict with your moral understandings of the world. But these experiences, though not as pleasant, are beneficial nonetheless. They still broaden your mind more and can teach great lessons of who you are. Given this, any and all experiences traveling abroad are positive. There is always something you can learn from this interactions outside of you home nation. I find that since my travels I do indeed perceive things differently. I provide knowledge to others about different cultures in order to prevent foul misconceptions from persisting. I have had many questions asked of me and my experiences in Morocco. The pure fact that it is an Islamic nation leads to many absurd preconceptions being thrown my way. In general, I have never met a more loving and hospitable group of people. This experience truly opened my mind as this was my first time in the non-Western world. I must say it motivates me to travel only in the non-Western world. The more a person can travel, the more a person can gain an understanding of what it is to be human. You think without regards to race, religion, and nationality. Traveling gives you the freedom to remove these constraints from the typical way our minds function. We rarely talk of humans and humanity but of a series of “they’s” and “we’s.” As simple as this may sound it is a morally, ethically, and logically satisfying experience. Freedom is a powerful word. It is even more powerful when achieved. The power of traveling is that of the power of freedom. Open yourself to unthinkable joys and experiences which will serve you throughout your life and the pursuit of finding who you are.
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