The Limited Value of Travel

Traveling around the world sounds very exciting! That, in fact, might be a core of a major problem.

Others will praise your decision to travel; as we will see, these people are not necessarily helpful either.

A person is not deeply, profoundly, or permanently enriched by simply moving her body around this little tiny, itsy-bitsy planet. For even if you go "everywhere," on this tiny planet, you have seen and experienced virtually nothing of the cosmos!:)

In order to gain any mental clarity, you must ask yourself why you feel such pride about your travels. Why is this so important to you? It is because most people on this little planet are unsophisticated and uneducated spiritually. Because of these factors, they are impressed when a person moves her body around on this planet. They go so far as to believe that travel itself enriches a person.

But this is wrong; it comes from limited experience and limited understanding. For travel in itself does not enrich a person. It does not give a person depth-- spiritually, mentally, or emotionally. It does not improve a person's wisdom, compassion, or morality; in other words, travel in itself does not improve a person. Travel in no way makes you "more important."

Travel can enrich only what you already have within. A person is made no "richer" by going to the furthest corners of the earth than by going to the corner store. Therefore, the common "pride" involved with travel is based upon an illusion, for this entire world is but a dreamworld.

As people questing after enlightenment, it is desirable for us to abandon all pride, including pride of travel, and pride of friendship, to which it is closely related. (Some people feel, deep down, that they are worthless, and so, they are always talking about "important" or famous friends. For the same feelings of low selfesteem, people always brag about their travels.)

One of the greatest (and most humble) writers of mysticism in all history was Lao Tzu (pronounced "Lah'-o dzuh"). He was a writer in China, whose writing was already four hundred years old when Jesus was born. He wrote, "The sage can see the whole world without moving her front gate."

A "sage" or enlightened person does not have to follow slavishly the often uncomfortable or even harsh task-master of traveling, for her selfesteem does not in any way depend on impressing others. She knows that she is singularly and uniquely important because she is a daughter of Love (God); she has nothing to prove, nothing with which to impress strangers or friends. She is completely selfcontent, and does not need to "impress" anyone. She is content and happy, satisfied and fulfilled,
in her own deep interior nature. She is happy in her own skin, and in her own backyard, and does not have continually to "flee" from her home.

Most people do not feel this much at peace with themselves, and so, have to "prove to themselves" and to others, that they are "important." Sadly, in our culture, one way that people artificially "prove their importance" is by travel.

But real Love, of course, has nothing to do with geography.

Most people, unfortunately, are highly impressed by simple travel (because they do not at all like their home). You cannot, and will not, receive reliable advice from them, even though they love you profoundly. For they cannot be objective about this question. And you must find an objective answer in your own heart. The importance of doing so cannot be overemphasized.

Travel is interesting, and can be even exciting, when you are young. Like all other things of earth, in time, it becomes boring and wearisome, losing much attractiveness. It is good to travel when young, for when older, you might have lost the desire, and even the ability.

But please just do not confuse the excitement of travel, which always marks an inexperienced person (for it is a "new experience") with falling in Love-- a fabulous, fantastic, ultimate "high" that is the best thing that can happen to a human being.

You must sort through your thoughtfeelings and decide how and why mere travel has become so important to you. Do you feel, deep down, that you are inferior?

Love wisely, carefully, slowly, and selectively when it comes to your life-choice of a Soulmate, Love-partner, or monogamous companion. For one thing, you need to know much more than you do right now. So, be patient, dear friend; this is not the time to leap before looking, to act prematurely, impulsively, or impetuously.

You have a great need to love, as you have to eat. But although a stack of candy might be truly attractive, it will never give your body, mind, or Soul the nutrition that you need.:)