justwritehere

Thus far, I’ve grown up living in three different countries – Singapore, China, and South Africa. I’ve flown to and seen many places. More, perhaps, than most people ever will. I enjoy traveling, but until recently have never really questioned my love: What is it about traveling that makes it so desirable?

I used to think I traveled to see the world – to see different places, understand how differently societies function, gain an appreciation of different cultures, learn from different faces life’s many lessons. Yet, the more I travel, the flatter the world seems to be.

Upon retrospection, this was really the case with my most recent trip to Malaysia. I’ve visited the country on a few occasions with my family, but never on my own. Initially, I was simply glad to be escaping the concrete and surgical nature of Singapore’s cityscape. However, I gradually came to the realization that there were far more similarities than differences. I realized that the common attractions are the same almost anywhere in the world you go to – good hotels, departmental stores, luxury transportation.

Of course, the situation is not as bad when you are traveling to immerse yourself in a new culture – that way, you live within the society and experience first hand their lifestyle and mannerisms, as opposed to the aforementioned “common attractions” which never deviate. Nonetheless, I’m beginning to see that the more differences there are, the more similar we are. My habits manifest themselves just as much in my counterparts elsewhere, simply in more variant forms; my mannerisms are slant reflections of those found in other cultures; and my daily routine easily finds its way into another’s, perhaps just ordered in a non-identical sequence. In effect, all the differences no longer seem so different once I understand the underlying rationales, which are usually identical to mine. After all, we’re all human, striving to exist in as best and most comfortable a way we can, enveloped in the same air which traverses our world’s farthest corners:

Traveling, you realize that differences are lost: each city takes to resembling all cities, places exchange their form, order, distances, a shapeless dust cloud invades the continents. – Italo Calvino

Why, then, do I still enjoy it so much? Certainly not because of the common attractions. Rather, it is precisely the uncovering or discovery of the above-mentioned slant reflections of life that attracts me: because there are always new lessons to learn, perspectives to challenge myself with, insights to sharpen my mind, and friends awaiting me to join them. The process by which we arrive at an understanding of what we experience allows for this. Arguably, there is also something raw in nature that renders each new visit refreshing. Moreover, there remains a uniqueness and ubiquity inherent in humans that allows for each encounter to spark a new-found warmth.

I used to think I traveled to see the world – to see different places, understand how differently societies function, gain an appreciation of different cultures, learn from different faces life’s many lessons.

In a sense, I still do.

Ultimately, though there are many similarities, even the similarities hold keys to opening new doors. I’ve realized that there are far, far more lessons to be harvested and sights to be seen in direct proportion with your heart and mind’s openness, humbleness, as well as willingness and yearning to greet them. You are limited only by yourself. This means you will be able to savor your experiences as much as you allow yourself to fall in love with life all over again.

We travel initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next, to find ourselves … We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate … We travel, in essence, to become young fools again—to slow time down and get taken in, and fall in love once more. – Pico Iyer, ‘Why we Travel’

Life is an ocean. We are but mere droplets, and all items around us – each animal, tree, object; each form animate or inanimate – is likewise a part of, adrift in, this vast body, which is our Earth, Galaxy, Universe.

Just as oceans in general are affected by strong winds, storms, and tempests, so is this one. Each tiny wave has a butterfly effect upon the rest of its currents, so calming the water into gentle laps or stirring up turbulent, fearsome waves.

We can never predict what’s coming. That is Mother Nature’s mystery.

We are all together in this, yet we are all also apart.

Though all are in this same ocean, at the same time we may be spread far apart from each other, perhaps many hundreds, thousands of miles apart. And though we are all in this same ocean, not all of us have the same resources to brave the oncoming and relentless storms.

And so, many of us don’t survive. Those that can’t survive get lost, are hit by furious waves or dangerous debris, are chilled blue through their tattered clothes, or get drowned as they lose that piece of driftwood they were clinging so tightly to. Some even become exhausted and drained due to dehydration.

The rest of us survive, however we mostly feign innocence, ignorance. Or we shake our heads in exasperation at what the world is coming to, simultaneously refilling our glass of wine as we push our sunglasses back down and resume our afternoon tan atop a luxury cruise.

We forget, too easily, that we are all in this same ocean of life.

And just as a current many miles away has an effect on the water immediately surrounding each of us, the death, bloodshed, and piercing cries of agony will also reach us – be it in the form of sight, sense, smell, taste, touch, or several of those at once; and be it now or in the future.

We are all in this together. Because we are all a part of this ocean. Because we are all connected. Because we are all integrated in this existence even more awesome than ourselves. Because if we all feign ignorance, it will one day be felt – when the storm hits home, when the storm hits our hearts.

We are all apart, yet we are all also together.

Reproduced above in my own words, and in as best a narration as I can give, is an allegory I first came across a few years ago. I nearly choked on air when I heard it again today, because it’s so damn relevant, and so damn painful to know and remember that it’s true.

The world has known of Haiti’s poverty even before 5pm on January 12th. But it took an earthquake of magnitude 7 with 30 intense aftershocks of magnitude 4.5 to bring its situation to the front-pages. And even that wasn’t enough, I suspect.

The desensitization of society has rendered us deaf, blind, senseless. This nail may have been hammered many times into the table by now, to the point where cracks are beginning to form around it, but I still feel it warrants our attention because either we’ve been hitting it into the wrong joint, or we’ve been kidding ourselves and have been missing the nail-head all this while, perhaps hammering  other parts of the table itself – an act of sheer stupidity and futility, needless to say.

This is a tough world. Many of us can’t survive. Some even become exhausted and drained due to dehydration. Like the people in Haiti right now, trapped under rubble and fallen walls, still awaiting help.

As Jeff Taylor of the Economic Voice says, “the Haiti tragedy makes you weep” -

Haiti was never rich, nor did it ever have a modern nationwide infrastructure that we in the more developed nations take for granted. There was never any real money to build earthquake proof housing for the masses. Any social cohesion was within very local tight-knit communities. So when the country was hit by a massive wide ranging disaster like this there could only be one outcome.

Read more: http://www.economicvoice.com/the-haiti-tragedy-makes-you-weep/5005629#ixzz0csrFAwwl

But why should we care. Many of us flip right past this to other sections of the papers, such as lifestyle, comics, ads, or obituaries. Anything but the Haiti earthquake and its victims.

After all, people just shrug their shoulders and say: “The Haiti-what? I don’t know man, besides, nobody is doing anything! Lemme read my papers in peace.”

Here’s news: You’re not reading the papers. You’re just selectively pleasing yourself, ignoring (or is it denying?) reality, no better than those trapped in Plato’s cave.

Here’s more news: You’re not nobody.

…Or are you?

The Haiti earthquake is a tragedy because we have made it one. The flaw lies in us, in humanity, and not with nature. We had the knowledge, time, and resources. We’ve known of Haiti’s poverty for a long time. We’ve had so much time to help build their society and infrastructure up so that they can be stronger, more resilient, more self-sufficient, so that when disaster strikes at least they have more chances, however slim they may be.

But instead of using our blessings for the betterment of humanity, we have used them for senseless warfare. And when humanity cries out for our help, so many of us simply just hit the mute button, as though it’s as simple as an act of turning off the television, as though hitting it will make everything in this world alright again, as though it will alleviate them of any responsibility, as though that is the only thing they can do.

One vital question each person should ask himself: When you detach yourself from humanity, what’s left that makes you human?

Further Reading
April 17, 2008 – Hunger in Haiti
January 16, 2010 – Officials Strain to Distribute Aid to Haiti as Violence Rises

If you wish to donate to Haiti, there are many ways to do so. Just to share with you, this is the portal I used: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies