take a look around

We Americans are accused of many things by our fellow sojourners in the world. We are ignorant, loud, obnoxious, over-ambitious, fat, and numerous other negative adjectives.
And, in a world that is growing into a more closely-knit global community, we are simply behind. Of course, all of these stereotypical descriptions should be applied selectively, but it is true that Americans are generally content to keep to their own country and culture.

While the rest of the globe is busy learning multiple languages and gallivanting across continents, we sit very comfortably on a large portion of North America, enjoying our isolated supremacy. Granted, other countries find themselves in different circumstances regarding location and economic status that force them to study other languages and cultures. But just because we can be more leisurely about our approach does not mean that we should never arrive.

This is not the Wild West anymore. It does not take the covered wagon days to span a few miles. We are privileged to live in a day and age in which travel is available in all sorts of speedy forms and language barriers are becoming non-factors. Of course, what is the only excuse left? Money. Unfortunately, this last plea falls on unsympathetic ears, as I have seen too many situations that proved the old adage, “Where there is a will, there is a way.”

St. Augustine wrote, “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” The world sees America as the kid who reads the first page and then, impatient with the story’s slow progress and difficult words, runs off to play. We have grown so consumed with the daily activities in our individual spheres of existence that we have forgotten to acknowledge the billions of people and places that do not fit into our bubbles. Travel is about more than the physical journey. It is an altered mindset – a fresh perspective. It is about developing a healthy curiosity and love of learning that drives us to know more, to experience more, to appreciate more.

My advice: take a step out of your comfort zone. Depending on your particular situation, that may look like a week exploring the Mississippi Delta or a year of teaching English in Tibet. Wherever and whatever it is, the point is to broaden our horizons from our respective vantage points.

I am not advocating an ideology that would strip us of our national identity by any means. America is a place of endless opportunities, and I am simply suggesting that we take advantage of them. Getting to know the world in which you live is a rewarding, eye-opening, (and hopefully) lifelong process.

Know that the buffet at China Bell is a poor representation of the real thing, that British people really are as prim and proper as their collective stereotype, and that the Colosseum is as breathtaking as you imagined. Determine to read a few more pages of this world-book. Let’s shock our critics together.

April 7, 2008
(article for The Review, Laurel, MS, newspaper)