Travel as Transformation: Conquer the Limits of Culture to Discover Your Own Identity

by Gregory V. Diehl

Travel satisfies that most basic curiosity to depart from regular life into something new, if only briefly, before returning to normality. By experiencing the way others live, we gain a deeper understanding of ourselves.

I learned that the worst of humanity is not our ability to commit momentary acts of violence or personal oppression; it is how we rear children to live as receptacles for our own outdated ideologies and traditions. The dignity of humanity lies in our ability to think for ourselves. The unconscious acceptance that culture must flow to new generations actively suppresses this dignity.

You alone are the arbiter of what deserves space in your life, or what is worth facing stress over.

Your greatest power will be defined by the influence you hold on the space around you. Be brave enough to drive all other goals from your mind.