by James Johnson

Created on: June 23, 2008   Last Updated: July 17, 2008

Why traveling is important? Because there is a constant need for people not only to just "spread the wealth", but to actually to broaden their perspectives, this allows them to better appreciate what they have as well as learn to get along better. Other reasons for traveling include "escaping" the office to recharge those batteries by relaxing with family and friends, business concerns, and it will also help people make better choices in the future.

The best way to do this is to see and experience things personally. Television, radio, and even the internet are great for keeping people posted on what is happening in the world and providing entertainment, but they are "filtered". Nothing is ever quite the same as being there. Shows or books can never portray the reality of having experienced something first had. With modern graphics, real war looks a lot like a video game.

The "Country Boy" needs to travel to the city. He can then experience skyscrapers reaching to the heavens and better understand the true horror of one collapsing and killing thousands of people. He will learn what massive amounts of smog and car exhaust smell like; hear the noise and feel the frustration of traffic jammed up for miles, moving at a snail's pace. He then knows why it is important to control emissions or how tempers can flare on the freeway. When he heads back to the country, he can relate better to those news stories on car pile ups or the horror of a building on fire that he sees on CNN. Traveling helps to better understand these things, this is important.

It is the same reason that a "City Girl" needs take a trip to the country. She learns what the corn ripening looks like and smell the flowers, then better realize what damage a drought can do. Let her visit the forests and meadows when possible. By seeing and listening to the birds, she will realize that the sounds are often much more subtle and colors more complex than on a show. Now she can appreciate the delicacy of the rain forest that she watches on PBS, and knows if she wants to help save it, it won't be easy.

The same applies to overseas traveling. Poverty isn't as real to most people unless they have seen the children playing with no clothes in the street; war is much more horrible and to be avoided when you have seen the places and people in person. You will learn the importance of charities in poor places, the value of freedom, and how greedy some people can be! One cannot really envision the size or the Grand Canyon

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>