“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” – Mark Twain. When you land in a different city on our small globe you’re thrust into a culture shock of some sort! And it always opens your mind. Heck! Even climbing a small mountain does that!
But there’s something really awe-inspiring when you look down over a city and perceive it as being only one little portion of our planet. I flew over Seattle while on my way to the Oregon coast last week and love this picture I found. Where ever you touch down in your travels, a new world opens up to you. New vistas to view. New climate, new smells in the air, a new philosophy on life saturated into the people. If we lived there year around, wouldn’t our values change too?
Walking along the beach I see a message in a bunch of seaweed. All wrapped together, entwined in interrelationship with each other; each rope of seaweed is part of the whole. That is the culture of their environment. The people I meet are independent thinkers, wrapped up in sweaters to withstand the strong winds blowing across the sands of time.
Hey, even the foods are different where ever you go. You’ll starve to death in your narrow mindedness if you can’t be adventurous in trying new cuisines. This bird on the beach was delighted to pick at some delicacy of heaven-knows-what kind of seafood!
And you do meet all kinds of inhabitants. In Newport, a regular ruckus can be heard from the seals down on the Bay Front. Urgh Urgh Urgh Urgh! Commercial fishing boats unload right there on the wharf in front of the warehouses. Shrimp are shelled with the smell and the residue rolling off into outside bins of garbage. Seagulls soar over busy tourists lining up to eat claim chowder at the famous Moe’s Restaurant. Yum! Oh, and then you can grab a bag of multi-flavoured saltwater taffy down the street for desert!
Do you know, friends can be made where ever you go. But you don’t get to judge each other for different values or lifestyles. Friendships can cross over oceans, continents, nationalities, and time itself. Like this elementary gradeschool girlfriend I met up with in Tillamook! The wonder of it – after 50 years of lost contact we meet again and still find respect and warmth.
….No, traveling this big wide world doesn’t make me feel small. It makes me feel connected with the vastness of it all!
I love you everybody!
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Did you ever have a trip you took that ended some prejudice and opened your mind? Please share here, cause I want to go there!
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Quote from The Celestial Proposal: Our Invitation to Join the God Kind, Chapter 14, Developing Spiritual Maturity, page 175. Purchase
“Our earthly lives have been set up for us as specialized training grounds. We are in boot camp here on earth!”
I whole heartedly agree. Where would we be if it wasn’t for the differentness of us all to learn, grow and expand our mind.
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Yah, who would want all daises in their garden. We want colour and adventure!
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Thanks! Traveling helps us to see the ONENESS! Travel is always the highlight of my life! the More expanding part! I am so grateful for my Mexican friends and for living in another country.
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And now you have such an open heart! Thanks for commenting here!
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