Mark Twain once said,
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”
Travel from time immemorial has been a voyage to know the unknown, explore the hidden extravagant places, see the unseen, and meet the countless human species. Nevertheless, some of the most curious mind of all times have traversed across the world with a will to broaden one’s knowledge about other’s culture, ethos and social paradigm. This is the reason why several greatest travelers of all time like Marco Polo, Captain Cook have had their knowledge of the world altered because of their expeditions abroad.
After all, travel makes you remove all the prejudices that you have for a place or a nation and makes you appreciate all the similarities and/or diversities that everyone in the world shares. When explorers set their foot in the region not traveled, they move in without any preconceptions or notions about the place. In fact, they are open to witness the unfamiliar, get acquainted with it and then pick up the good things as a souvenir.
Interestingly, back in the ancient times, it was the travelers who even became the national ambassadors. Take for instance Fa Hein, the famous foreign envoy to India who collected Buddhists relics and texts and compiled all his experiences in a travelogue so that everybody could get the record of Buddhistic Kingdoms. Then again, we know about Marco Polo who literally introduced the eastern countries to the west. If only these travelers weren’t so open-minded and prejudiced about India or the east, they would have neither benefited from the rich culture and/or heritage that the Indians or the easterners have nor could the world would have their hands at Buddhism along with other beneficial practices like meditation, yoga, and Ayurveda.
Now it was because of the openness of these world travelers and their inbound love for the world that they could not only learn a new culture, heritage, ethos but also appreciate it and then endorse it widely so that not just them even others could benefit from it.
This gives rise to the question –
So, Why Travelers are Open-Minded and why do they love the World Deeply?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNeGyEayWUs
Well, because Travelers are not Conservative
One can never have a closed mind and travel the country let alone the world. A conservative mind distinguishes while a traveler never discriminates. A conservative mind has reservations over people, food and lifestyle. On the contrary, a traveler is open to receive everything new. They are welcoming.
Travellers are not Bigots. They do not suffer from Xenophobia
Unlike the normal people, travelers are far away from racial intolerance, chauvinism, and prejudiced mindset. On the contrary, they love the world, are very open-hearted and always try their best to #SayYesToTheWorld as they deeply believe the world to be one. This is the reason when most of the people have prejudiced notions about the middle east countries, the travellers are very positive about them. No, the middle east is not all about jihadis, war mongers or crusaders. In fact, travellers who have explored these countries have had some of the best host.
Narrow-Mindedness Can’t Survive an Experience Like That!
Travellers have a humanitarian outlook. They lean towards social equality, have a compassionate heart and are generally empathetic towards others. A person cannot be both narrow-minded and traveler at the same time. Nevertheless, narrow-mindedness can’t survive an experience like travel.
