Missing Out

I've been home for almost a week now. It's good to be back.

Between catching up with family, friends, and running errands, I've managed to stay decently busy. However, I've also gotten the chance to do some reflecting on the last couple months, thinking about adventures, conversations, and experiences I've had. I realized something.

Americans are missing out.

I'm all for America. I love this country, the culture, the food (yay iced tea and good tacos!), but there is something Americans are generally terrible at doing:

Vacationing.

For starters, we have some serious workaholism issues. If an individual isn't a workaholic, their job tries to make them one. The fact that a person usually gets a SINGLE WEEK of paid vacation after starting a job is ridiculous. If someone goes away for more than that because they value rest and fun and holidays and think it's worth missing out on the pay, they are sometimes resented. I usually have to quit a job if I plan to do any significant traveling because otherwise there is no way they'll let me not work for that long. I realize there are some who don't, but too many Americans live to work instead of working to live.

Our young people are missing out, too. Two options are presented for high school students upon graduation: go to college or get a job. I would like to present a third option, an option that much of the rest of the planet has already embraced.

See the freakin' world. We are so connected to the world through TV, internet, and whatever, but at the same time so disconnected. Gone are the days when you don't know what's going on across the ocean because it takes months to cross it in a boat, or you have to write letters with actual pen and paper and then wait weeks for a response (although snail mail is still pretty great). We have the opportunity to hop on a plane and actually experience other cultures. To do things like chase kangaroos, climb the castle steps that kings and queens climbed, gaze in awe at the mountains that amazed the Spanish conquistadors, work alongside the truly impoverished and learn the value of every single meal.

And to discover that the world that is supposedly at our fingertips with computers, smart phones, and television is actually so much bigger, more beautiful, and more amazing than anyone can imagine.

Imagine what might happen if our young people could learn that before spending four years studying what their 18yr-old selves think they want to do with their lives (or what their parents want them to do). We might just end up with a bunch of people who know what genuine adventure is, what it's like to connect with another human being that grew up in an entirely culture, to genuinely be in awe of an aspect of creation that they've only read about in books or on wikipedia. To no longer view cultural arrogance and ignorance as an acceptable option.

Some might argue that we have plenty of things to see in the US, there is no reason to go abroad. To this I say, yes and no. Yes, there are amazing things in the States. We live in a diverse country that has mountains, lakes, deserts, plains, hot, cold, waterfalls, beaches, and an extremely wide variety of food. I've seen a bit of this country and it is beautiful in rugged, colorful ways. There are many cultures within our borders (just put a northeasterner in the south for a bit and you'll see that). And honestly, it is in my plans to see more of these places and people. But when traveling in one's own country, it's so much easier to try to retain one's culture. I lived in Michigan for four years while at school and I tried to remain as New Jerseyan as possible (I pretty much succeeded, although occasionally a squished "a" will come out and I'll grimace). There's a "yeah, I'm 1000 miles from home, but it's still America" kind of attitude.

Overseas, I've found it much different. It's "Holy cow, I'm in England!" or Australia, or wherever I may be resting my head that night. And then there is a desire to actually interact with the culture, to see how's it's different and similar. To try things I wouldn't ever try at home.

I think everyone should try it at least once. If nothing else, you'll hopefully come home with a deeper appreciation for iced tea, good Mexican food, great burgers, and driving on the right side of the road. And to become more sensitive to different cultures and customs, even within our own borders. It doesn't have to take a lot of money (South American hostels are CHEAP), or a ton of time, but whatever it does take is worth it.

It's also just a great opportunity to grow as a person. It's amazing what you can learn about yourself while by yourself in a far off place.

All this is to say I think we miss out by limiting our options or by arrogantly believing we've got it all here. This world is huge and wonderful. Even if we don't have the chance to go overseas, we should be taking time to experience other cultures, to look into the eyes of our fellow human being, acknowledge the differences, and then see if we can learn something about life from them.