I grew up in a tiny village in the Rocky Mountains, where I had a really strong sense of community. My neighbours were my family. I was not only raised by my parents, but also my neighbours. They taught me some of the most essential lessons I know. They were a huge influence on who I am today. In African proverbs, they say it takes a village to raise a child, and it's true. Everyone was always looking out for each other. Everyone cared. And when my family moved away when I was 10 years old, I lost that sense of community - we all kind of did. And I think I've spent my life searching for it ever since. Something has always been missing. I've never quite gotten my sea legs. Everywhere and nowhere has always been home. But in the words of Taiye Selasi, "We can never go back to a place and find it exactly where we left it. Something, somewhere, will always have changed; most of all, ourselves." And it was an important move. I am grateful for it in many ways - it allowed me to experience so much that I wouldn't have otherwise. But there are things I've always missed. And as a result, I've searched for this sense of community elsewhere, in all the nooks and cranny's of the world.
I finally found it again 9 years later in travelling, amongst both local people and travellers - people who would care simply because you are a human being. People who would look out for you, help you, make sure you were safe, because you are human. That was enough of a reason to care. And that community of people is probably the most remarkable one I've ever experienced, from both the giving and receiving ends. Maybe it's rooted in the fact that there is no long-term commitment to bear the weight of others lives, to always be a shoulder to lean on, to always show up and care. It's possible. But I'd like to believe it's because being a human who has feelings and a story is enough of a reason to care. Enough of a reason to pause and ask yourself how you could possibly be a kind, compassionate individual in any given situation. Enough of a reason to treat complete strangers as equals; as people who deserve to be seen. And maybe these people, who are curious about the world and each other, are actually willing to recognize these facts of humanity. Maybe it's why we all want to leave the Western world and go somewhere different - go somewhere where people actually understand the meaning of life and what it is to be human; somewhere where community is the foundation off which society is built. And here, in whatever this "Western world" is, we aren't supposed to be humans. Our society is not really built for caring. Nobody seems to want to know the actual, entire human that you are and what has led you to become that way. It's the reason we label people with loaded terms like alcoholic, addicted, homeless, disabled, depressed, mentally ill, reckless, destructive, and the list goes on - we just pick a label and dismiss. We've all been guilty of it at some point. It's the reason our society is so divided. It's the reason we're all secretly kind of miserable. It's the reason we feel alone. Because if you acknowledge the raw truth of another person's human experience, it will most likely reveal some painful truth about ourselves or our own lives that is easier not to know. Because it's easier to push people aside with labels, with dismissive comments, or out of fear. It's much easier. It is also a much lonelier and much less meaningful way to live. At the core of our beings, we are all the same. We are all human. And the scariest thing of all, is those who are too afraid to accept that as true. Those who are too afraid to stop and try to understand. Those who choose the simpler route of walking away or dismissing the challenges an individual may have faced. And in a society full of "highly educated" people, still so few understand. They skipped the lesson on humanity. The fact that at the core of our beings, we are all the same, just never seeped into their bones. It was never absorbed in the rush of it all. I like the places where being human is enough. At the core of our beings, we are all the same. We are all human. And that should be enough of a reason to take the time to try to understand. To open your mind. To look out for someone. To acknowledge an experience or feeling foreign to you as legitimate. To accept. To not dismiss. To truly see people in all of their humanity. To treat people as equals. To be on someone's team. Being human should be enough.
0 Comments
Why did you choose to go to _________?
There will always be people who try to dissuade you from doing things they are afraid to do or going places they are afraid to go themselves. Always. We live in a culture of fear, but do not succumb to it. Do not fear the world. Instead, fear the media, the politicians, and all those that instil terror in you of anything outside the walls that surround you and keep you “safe.” Fear the box you live in. Fear the rat race – the life measured by possessions and bank account balances, rather than experiences. Be very afraid of those things, but do not fear the world. It’s not nearly as scary as you think it is. I’m not trying to be ignorant to the fact that absolutely awful things do happen in this world. All the time. In every single country. But they are not the whole story. Every country has its magic – has something incredible to offer. Don’t listen to those who try to tell you otherwise. Please, look beyond the headlines and what the naysayers tell you, and do not fear the world. Instead, fear the way you are told to think about the world and the way you do think about it. Question it. And, maybe, try to change it. Copan Ruinas, Honduras
Eight months ago I boarded a plane to Tanzania and set off to start my travels. Eight brilliant months have now passed. People told me before I left that I was lucky. I told them it was a choice. I want to say that Canada may be a big, beautiful country, but it is also a part of a big, beautiful world. Please, go see it. Travel as far and wide as you can, but in the journey to new distances, don’t forget to aim for new depths. Be curious. You will learn the most valuable lessons. You will meet the most incredible people. You will have the most enriching experiences. You will live fully. The obstacles that limit us don’t really exist if we don’t let them. You have the power to make a choice, and at the end of the day our biggest obstacle is usually ourselves. Don’t let the obstacles override the dreams. It’s a choice, remember? You can choose."Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." - Howard Thurman
I spent my first year of university with that quote glancing down at me from its place on the wall of my dorm room - a simple reminder that unintentionally changed my views and my "five-year plan." For me, being an organized person doesn't just mean being organized from day-to-day, but also having my goals mapped out a little bit in advance (sometimes years). However, I've decided to stray off my preconceived path in an attempt to listen to my heart rather than my head, in an attempt to learn about life rather than how to "make a living." Quote number two on my wall at university was from Oscar Wilde, which read, "Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time nothing that is worth knowing can be taught." This one always has me wondering where the most important lessons I've learned so far have come from and what is really worth knowing. What are the most valuable lessons we learn? To top it all off, good old Mark Twain piped in and said, "Don't let your schooling get in the way of your education"... I think I'll take his advice on this one. Here's the new plan: 241 days. 8 months. 6 or more countries. Three months of volunteering in Arusha, Tanzania. Five months of backpacking in Southeast Asia. A full lap around the world by airplane. Tanzania. Indonesia. Cambodia. Thailand. Laos. Vietnam. An adventure that some may say is a little ambitious. Oh, and by the way, I've never left North America before. My decision to embark on this journey has received various responses, one being: "you're so lucky." But before I go, let me just clarify and say this: luck is not responsible for landing me in this position. Luck did not allow me to deny succumbing to the obstacles, societal beliefs, and expectations I had placed upon myself and others had placed upon me. Luck did not give me the courage to turn this massive, untouchable dream into a reality. Nor did luck put a handful of plane tickets in my hand, a yellow fever jab in my arm, and a stubborn determination in my mind. I did. And so can you. What I've truly come to recognize in the past while is that your dreams and aspirations are not meant to be silenced. Give them the time of day. The battle between your head and your heart doesn't have to be perpetual. Avoiding picking sides may be considered the right thing to do in most situations, but it's also exhausting. Please, just choose one already. The goals we make should not be based on validation and the prospective magnitude of our bank account balances. They should be based on that dream you have that is dying to live. On the fact that doubt is just a five letter word, and you are more than capable of overcoming it. On the fact that the world needs you to come alive. Think about this: what would you do if you weren't afraid? Now, go do it. Just try. Believe me, it feels great! Anyways, I'm off. Wild at heart. Free spirit. Lost. Found. Risk-taker. Change-seeker. Believer. Wanderer. Dreamer. Whatever you want to call me. I'll be chasing the sun. See you soon? |