I had the opportunity through the generosity of a cousin of mine to travel back to my home away from home last week. I wasn't there long - just 4 days, but this brief visit to Dublin lifted my spirits and gave me renewed energy to tackle the remaining days of 2018.
While in Dublin, I had the privilege of enjoying countless conversations with my Irish friends over cups of coffee and tea, as well as a pint or two. I was reminded that though separated by 6 time zones and thousands of miles of land and sea, we share so much in common. We share a common language, though of course we use that language in remarkably distinct ways. We share a broadly similar historical and cultural background, rooted in what's come to be known as the West. And we are all connected through that remarkable little devise, the smart phone. Though, in some ways, this devise has served to sever our connections rather than strengthen them. But that's a story for another time.
Of course, there are also many things that Americans don't share in common with the Irish. And that's a good thing. It's refreshing to have the opportunity to discover that there is more than one way to organize a society and run a country. In fact, there's much that Americans can learn from our European neighbors, one of the most obvious being that work provides one with a means to live life, rather than life being the means by which one is afforded the opportunity to work.
In my experience, people who travel abroad with a curious mind and an open heart, normally are able to build bridges with those they encounter and discover more about the world at large and themselves as well. Their lives are all the more rich as a result. Those who rigidly believe that their home culture and their way of life is superior to all others, miss out on the chance to enrich their lives and to affect a positive change back home.
The open minded traveler also discovers that other places are full of diverse people with differing views. Stereotypes do exist, but they only tell part of the story. Like Americans, not all Irish people see things alike. By learning why different people have developed their differing views, it allows us to reflect on how we came to see things the way we see them. By critically analyzing our own worldview, we can hopefully discover blind spots and blurry vision. We might discover that our friends abroad have developed better bifocals, metaphorically speaking. We can refuse to give their glasses a try, but then of course, we'll miss out on so much beauty that God has provided for us to enjoy.
It's obvious to anyone who's been paying attention that there's been an increasing gulf between the US and much of the rest of the world over the past few years. But, also increasingly, even within the United States, we don't seem to be quite so united anymore. I believe one of the leading causes of our division comes from the fact that like the closed minded traveler, or the closed minded non-traveler, many in our nation do not have the capability or the imagination to see the world from the perspective of another person. Many of our citizens hold to the faulty notion that their way of doing things is the right way, for all times, places, and people. Not only have they failed to walk a mile in another person's shoes, sandals, boots, or moccasins, they have failed to even consider what it might be like to do so. Sadly, we are beginning to lose one of the key traits which makes us human - empathy. To restore this key component we are in need of humility. Until we regain a more empathetic understanding of our own neighborhoods and the wide world at large, and until we choose to embrace humility, we will also fail to embrace humanity. We will continue to remain divided, and we all suffer as a result. - Shay
