Photo by: Paul Kellog

Ironic. We miss so much in life because we are simply too busy. Too busy to enjoy what’s in front of us and to respect what we have. Simply, we live in this oblivious state. We are numb to offset the stress that is intricately weaved into every aspect of American society. Why do you think there is such a desire for people to drink and escape? Drinking becomes a band aid for those unspeakable aspects of our life. Those necessary aspects that we consider miserable but deal with on a daily basis. What if however, we are not in need of a band aid but rather perspective? What if we are so self-absorbed in this commercial and material world that we lose sight of reality?

Now whether you believe in religion or not, it is my personal belief that if you consider every faith objectively there are life lessons to be learned. After all, religion is meant to guide and to instill a sense of ethics and truth in people. Religion is a conclusion decided upon by those who practice the faith. You can interpret the principles and choose to apply them to your own life. While traveling to Thailand, I was reminded how important it is to listen to the wisdom of other cultures. Our lives become so focused and direct that our peripheral vision is lost. We lose our humanity when living inside of this ‘bubble’. During my recent trip to Asia, I learned about the principles of Buddhism, one of which included ‘to respect one’s physical and mental state’. This was a relatively simple statement of truth that is constantly overlooked.

Upon returning home, after spending three weeks in a country half way across the world, this truth became ever so clear. I felt like an outsider of a life that I had lived just three weeks earlier. My life had included so many petty details and events, the result of which could affect my emotion within a split second. Why for instance was I pushing to be friends with people who spoke wisdom at others but had never learned it for themselves? Why was I trying to impress a group of friends that became physically ill with the amount of stress and focus on absurd life details? Having been away from all the ‘hype’ back home I returned refreshed and revitalized. Trying to resume my previous lifestyle was taxing because my positive energy was being drained by the day.

It’s funny because when immersed in a new culture, you don’t feel as though you belong entirely. You are visiting and there to perceive a new environment. Even though you’d like to fit in or not be considered a complete outsider, you are comforted by the amenities and familiarities which await you at home. However, when you return home, things are slightly different. How do you mesh your ‘travel’ life with your ‘normal’ life? It’s almost as though you had some epiphany during your travels which translates into a fresh perspective of the life you put on hold momentarily.

Even if you travel for the sake of pleasure, and no ‘epiphany’ is intended, a new realization forms. When you are immersed in a new place, your body physically has to adjust. There is a new time zone and the food and spices are completely different. The landscapes, sounds, and smells are new. We escape our comforts. In doing so, we shed our buffer zone that was self created to offset stress and anxiety in our old life. During

travel, your true self is exposed as you are without old mental and physical habits. What results is a person who reignites their inner self and is able to project it outwardly without a buffer. Strength becomes one’s new outfit rather than some fragmented life that just didn’t fit.

For me, that outfit is mainly composed of respect. I agree with Buddhist principle that you must respect yourself. If you don’t consider yourself, how are you going to view situations and conditions objectively? How are you going to take in outside detail and not narrow your perspective?

It is because of these acute realizations that I travel. I love my American life, but I do get lost in my own buffer. Every voyage seems to dispel an important theme of a life lesson. For me, the greatest investment I can make is travel because it has the greatest return of health.