Our world is infested with platitudes and clichés. This is a shame. What we now consider an ugly oyster may contain a pearl of wisdom. A picture is worth a thousand words. Think outside the box. A rolling stone gathers no moss. We hear them every day without thinking about what they actually mean. Try to remember that before these words became annoying sayings, they were original ideas. I am thinking, specifically, about the golden rule. Love your neighbor as yourself. Do unto others as you would have done unto you. There are countless manifestations of this same sentiment. We hear it said every day. But just because it is commonplace to hear it, doesn’t mean it is commonly adhered to. And, to be sure, it doesn’t mean the advice isn’t worth following.
Our civilization is at a dark place. People are disconnected, distrusting and disenfranchised. If we needed to adhere to the golden rule at any time, it is now. We live in a world remarkably different from the world of our parents and grandparents. The world’s population has exploded in the last 100 years from 1 billion people to nearly 7. Our lifestyle is quickly outstripping our resources. In developed nations, knowledge that couldn’t have been accumulated in many lifetimes in the past, is now available at the click of a mouse. In many third world nations, though, clean water, ample food and a peaceful way of life is a dream. However, travel between these two worlds is now faster, cheaper and more accessible than ever before; and, it may be the one thing that can connect and save these two worlds. Travel is the only way I see for people and societies to connect again. Through this, our Western world can check its greed and rediscover its ethics and the third world can benefit from an end to exploitation and indifference from fellow man.
Our world is changing. That is certain. But the problems that plague us are the same. Nations go to war for the same reasons they did thousands of years ago – religion, resources and security. People act divisively and skeptically out of fear instead of acting out of compassion and recognition of all they have in common.
In America, our recent decline can be seen in these terms. We are locked in wars for which we can scarcely recall our reasons for entering and for which we can hardly identify a benefit. We are heatedly debating the value of giving every man, woman and child reasonable healthcare, as if human dignity is a political issue. The banks and financial institutions that led us into turbulence hand out millions of dollars in bonuses to their top thieves. The question isn’t why do they deserve this money. The question is, how can any man want this money when the car it buys drives past dozens of unemployed and homeless families on its way to work everyday?
These are not new problems. Religious fanaticism, unchecked greed. They are the same problems that plagued and ruined every great empire. So why is our world of nation-states so intent on meeting the same end? Why must we look to exploit, rather than look to aid?
It is simple. We worship at a cult of money. We have nurtured our natural greed to an inhumane point, and given it a politically correct name – capitalism. The word brings to mind soaring bald eagles, freedom and liberty. But what good is this word, this system, if it acts as a veil to suffering and acts as a barrier between the haves and the have-nots. I cannot and will not say that capitalism is an inherently bad system. It is the only system I know. But I can say without a doubt that it is a flawed and incomplete system. On its own, capitalism has led not to widespread prosperity, but to widespread exploitation and indifference. What makes capitalism good, if does not benefit the majority? In this case, a rising tide has lifted few boats and sunk entire fleets.
Capitalism has potential, and its potential is not unlike that of every person working within its system. To achieve it, it must have at its heart an attitude of benevolence to all people. It must be important to pay living wages, to have jobs for everyone, to take care of the disabled and elderly. Padded wallets cannot protect against the suffering of others. But this is not the world we live it. Yet.
Is this world possible? How can we achieve it? It comes from an idea as old as the problems we face. We must treat others as we want to be treated. We must recognize ourselves in others. The suffering we see in others is potential suffering in ourselves. We must rediscover the golden rule and realize it applies not only to our neighbor, to our race, to our socio-economic bracket, or even to our countrymen. It applies to everyone. The acknowledgement of universal human dignity alone can cause a revolution in our way of life. Only in recognition of this can we end the cycle of violence, poverty and inequality. Some will always say that this is a dream. That this is impossible. These people are part of the problem, and I challenge them to become part of the solution. Another cliché tells us we reap what we sow. Let these people sow benevolence and goodwill and watch their apathy fade.
The big question is this: how do we get society to see the ubiquitousness of the human condition? The answer: one at a time. We get people to travel. And not travel to a beach to sip fruity cocktails and get a tan. But travel to transform. Travel to grow, to learn and most importantly to get out of your comfort zone. This will be difficult for Americans. Americans like safety. Our whole political reality is based on this: we want our family to be safe, our job to be safe, and most importantly, our money to be safe. So, it is no surprise that most Americans try to travel as safely as possible. We stay in palaces, put too much faith in guidebooks and wander in fear of turning down the wrong street or eating food from the wrong street vendor. For safety’s sake, we put up a wall dividing local and tourist. We need to break this artificial barrier and see the world for what it is: people. Masses of the same cells, tissues and organs, no matter where you go. We cannot think of traveling outside our comfort zone as a dangerous undertaking. We must regard it as a natural adventure of the human spirit. Instead of separating ourselves from the culture we enter, we should be immersing ourselves in it. Enjoy not just its beauty, but accept it as is, warts and all. Think of yourself as a guest in their home and enter with an open heart instead of open disgust. Try the food, accept invitations from strangers and make the effort to learn a bit of the language. Be gracious that they have let you into their country and culture and don’t presume they should be grateful to have you just because you bring money. Once the artificial barriers we construct are torn down, we are left with common humanity. This, I know, will bring compassion.
I understand that not everyone can travel. People have kids to raise and mortgages to pay. This is why you must travel while you are young. Before you have too many obligations. Before you create a reason not to. And most importantly, before cynicism and ethnocentrism has lodged too deeply into your brain. I believe that every young person can find a way to travel. The opportunities are there. If you are a college student, you can study abroad. If you are a graduate, you can join the peace corp. If you are a bum like me, you can teach English. I am living, breathing proof that if you want to see the world, you can do it. It takes a little planning and a lot of work and faith, but the rewards are endless.
We must, as a society, place an importance on traveling as education. We must encourage young people to travel, to see the world, and to report what they find. Expand the peace corp. Promote English teaching programs. Spread the idea that a classroom education is insufficient. A degree or diploma should be a supplement to the knowledge gained through your own senses. Challenging your senses, perceptions and ideas with travel expands your knowledge in a way no book, class, or job can. From these ideas, we will create a Ministry of Travel. Not a governmental body, but a network of people, young and old, who preach and spread the knowledge and rewards that come from traveling. They will inspire others and be a catalyst for moral reform. Social justice will emanate from their lives and words as effortlessly as the love for humanity they have fostered.
Once we have a generation of young people who desire to see the world, we will have human dignity again and can return to the idea of social justice. How can we destroy people – whether with bombs or balance sheets – when we have sat down to tea with them? Then, perhaps, the Mercedes will be meaningless if it drives past homeless families.
I have faith that this is possible. I see it in my young, educated friends. They want to travel. Some join the peace corp, others teach abroad. Some save money for months working low-wage no-respect jobs, only so they can afford trip after trip after trip. Travel and seeking knowledge is their lifeblood. Whatever the method, the madness for travel and exploration is there. We must fan this flame, encourage it and spread its light. We are the bare bones, the foundation that will become the Ministry of Travel. Experiencing other cultures is cheaper and easier than ever before. Good thing too, because this is the most promising way to return our country and our world to a society based not on greed but on the golden rule, social justice and human dignity.
