Why Do We Need to Travel?
The long tight hug from the best friend or a compliment from a stranger, the little teardrop at the corner of the eye due to uncontrollable laughter or the chuckling of a little child in the metro; a cute pup video or your ‘jam’ playing on the radio; don’t these little things have that certain je ne sais quoi which brings that smile on our face and bliss in our hearts? If you agree, then this ingenuity needs to be protected and preserved; for our earthly existence is punctually stabbed with the steely knives of ultra-harsh demands and realities of our human lives. If you disagree, please check this box to confirm you are not a robot. But, it has been noted, by many a social scientists and the folks around, that we are so involved in our work & family commitments and responsibilities that we become mechanical and predictable. And being predictable is not good. It does two things to us, which I am pretty sure none of us would want. First, it makes us easily manipulated and managed by people who know our reactions and second, it makes us BORING. Thus, given the caveats, which concern the beauty of uncertainty and spontaneity of life, we need to understand the theory of relativity.
Yes! The theory of relativity! It says, the speed of light in a vacuum remains the same no matter at what the speed the observer might be moving. And so we must understand that the velocity of our lives doesn’t change however hustling or dallying it may seem to us. And in the midst of the treacherous reality, if you think you have become comfortably numb, then that’s not O.K. The little things from the perfectly popped popcorns to the unexpected full reception in the subway are meant to break the monotony. But, if they cant, you need a stronger therapy. Be it music, tea, food or retail; their therapeutic value and efficacy in treating the malady might just be little less than travelling, at least for me. Well, it is the all-in-one solution.
St. Augustine said, “The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” Having spent more than half a decade in hostels; some lavish & some not so lavish, I have in my little time on Earth travelled as much as possible.. The borderless nature of my experiences, gave me an insight into the panorama of the new world culture and a lot more. I have tasted blood, and I know that the life of a high-heeled traveller had always enraptured me. So, I believe, all of us need to really travel. Be it, as a business traveller, a student, a tourist or even an armchair traveller, we can excite the food connoisseur, story aficionados, nature lovers or any other fixation we have in us.
Carpe diem! World Tourism Day is a reminder to all of us to pack up your backpacks, pull up your socks, tie your laces and run off to a place you have never been and have always wanted to go. Be it the Swiss Alps or the Northern Lights in Norway; the Mayan Temples or the forts of Rajasthan; the Coral reefs of Australian or the Springs of Colorado. Let the world surprise you! And let yourself get floored!
