I've said it before and I'll say it again, my favorite thing about traveling is the perspective you gain. Whether it's perspective on food, freedom, poverty, religion, violence, politics, or the general hygienic state of toilets around the world, perspective is amazing.
At the top of the perspective list for me is how I now view the planet we live on versus how I did before I traveled. I used to never really think about it. I mean, yeah sure Earth is pretty cool. It's got dolphins and cotton candy and wifi. I think very few of us stop to think about how amazing it really is, cotton candy aside.
Pardon me while I step up on my soap box for a second… a one, a two, a three….
The earth is amazing. Think of it in comparison to all the other planets that surround it. Every other planet is total shit. No trees. No rivers. No mountains. No blue skies. No birds. No kittens. No rainbows. Nothing. They all have nothing. We are the ONLY planet in our solar system, that isn't a rocky, cold, empty hell hole. The drastic difference between Earth and everything else blows my mind. It's not like there are planets that are kind of like Earth, where dogs have cat heads and rain comes up from the ground. Nothing is like it, and I think we really take that for granted.
Yes terrible things happen on this planet (99% of which are caused by us, not the planet), but overall if you take a second to walk outside and look at the sky, think about how old trees are, watch the clouds float by, your mind should explode, it's miracle that any of it is even here.
In my opinion being present and appreciating it all is the single most important thing I can do each day. Take it all in. Stop. Look. Feel. Breathe. Because every single thing I see with my eyes is a miracle. I've touched Egyptian pyramids, climbed up mountains that are millions of years old, swam in countless oceans ranging from freezing to pretty darn nice, smelled the cleanest air I've ever smelled in New Zealand, sat under the stars in the middle of the Bolivian desert, the list goes on and on. Each time I'm completely floored that any of it exists. And there's tons of it to see. All you have to do is go outside and look around.
I love picturing this little ball, with all these people, and all these beautiful things floating in the galaxy. Pretty amazing stuff when you stop and experience it.
At the top of the perspective list for me is how I now view the planet we live on versus how I did before I traveled. I used to never really think about it. I mean, yeah sure Earth is pretty cool. It's got dolphins and cotton candy and wifi. I think very few of us stop to think about how amazing it really is, cotton candy aside.
Pardon me while I step up on my soap box for a second… a one, a two, a three….
The earth is amazing. Think of it in comparison to all the other planets that surround it. Every other planet is total shit. No trees. No rivers. No mountains. No blue skies. No birds. No kittens. No rainbows. Nothing. They all have nothing. We are the ONLY planet in our solar system, that isn't a rocky, cold, empty hell hole. The drastic difference between Earth and everything else blows my mind. It's not like there are planets that are kind of like Earth, where dogs have cat heads and rain comes up from the ground. Nothing is like it, and I think we really take that for granted.
Yes terrible things happen on this planet (99% of which are caused by us, not the planet), but overall if you take a second to walk outside and look at the sky, think about how old trees are, watch the clouds float by, your mind should explode, it's miracle that any of it is even here.
In my opinion being present and appreciating it all is the single most important thing I can do each day. Take it all in. Stop. Look. Feel. Breathe. Because every single thing I see with my eyes is a miracle. I've touched Egyptian pyramids, climbed up mountains that are millions of years old, swam in countless oceans ranging from freezing to pretty darn nice, smelled the cleanest air I've ever smelled in New Zealand, sat under the stars in the middle of the Bolivian desert, the list goes on and on. Each time I'm completely floored that any of it exists. And there's tons of it to see. All you have to do is go outside and look around.
I love picturing this little ball, with all these people, and all these beautiful things floating in the galaxy. Pretty amazing stuff when you stop and experience it.
