| What on earth is happening to the world? | | | | the art of appreciating beauty by opening ourselves to |
| The financial sectors are being brought down to their | | | | it and making ourselves available to experience it. |
| knees the world over, jobs are on the line, and we feel | | | | Travel and exploring the world provides us with that |
| forced to watch this happen and feel powerless to do | | | | opportunity in spades. After all, planet Earth is the |
| anything to stop it. But are we powerless? No. Good | | | | "paradise planet" of the universe. |
| enough reason to want to survive this ruin. In fact, the | | | | 3. Travel encourages us to grow. |
| key to surviving this difficult and unprecedented stage | | | | Growth is understanding what we have not previously |
| in our planet's history is to take responsibility, alter our | | | | been able to conceive. It is feeling what we have |
| thought process altogether and change the way we | | | | never felt, or doing what we have never done before. |
| see the world. Travel and the exploration of our world | | | | It obliges us to leave our comfort zone and progress |
| provides us with the perfect platform for this change | | | | into the unknown. Growth can sometimes be a joy, |
| to occur. | | | | and sometimes it can be uncomfortable or even |
| When approached with openness and humility, the | | | | downright painful. But one thing is for certain. The |
| benefits of Travel are endless. But for the sake of | | | | personal growth experienced through travel and the |
| simplicity, I have broken them down to 5 points. | | | | exploration of the world results in a far greater |
| 1. Travel gives us the opportunity to silence the mind. | | | | sensitivity to the pain of human beings in general. And |
| 2. Travel gives us the opportunity to be touched by | | | | through this, we begin to see our own life in |
| beauty. | | | | perspective, which in turn gives us a greater sense of |
| 3. Travel encourages us to grow. | | | | purpose. |
| 4. Travel fuels our imagination, and awakens a sense | | | | 4. Travel fuels our imagination, and awakens a sense |
| of lightness and joy. | | | | of lightness and joy. |
| 5. Travel fulfills our yearning for Unity. | | | | What has happened to our imagination? Have our life |
| 1. Travel gives us the opportunity to silence the mind. | | | | experiences, schooling and conditioning discouraged us |
| Silence, which has been grossly underrated by modern | | | | so much from using our imagination that we now view |
| society, creates a nourishing environment for | | | | it as a frivolous word? Take a look at the eyes of a |
| contemplation and the appearance of inspiration. Yet, | | | | child. That look reminds us of a time when anything |
| we find it extremely challenging to silence the mind in | | | | and everything was possible, unobstructed by past |
| the midst of our everyday routine. This is where | | | | experiences and without exclusions. Travel reminds us |
| stepping outside of our comfort zone and exploring | | | | not to take things quite so seriously in our lives. It |
| unfamiliar lands can play a very important part. It | | | | awakens a sense of lightness and joy, and the |
| becomes easier for us to focus our undivided attention | | | | realization that life is a dance. And dance, though |
| on a chosen object, such as a sunset, a beautiful | | | | powerful, is also a great pleasure. |
| landscape or a work of art, when we are outside of | | | | 5. Travel fulfills our yearning for Unity. |
| our normal environment. We allow ourselves to | | | | It is instinctive for human beings to naturally seek union |
| experience that sense of wonder and rapturous | | | | with larger units, as we wish to share and participate in |
| amazement at the harmony of natural laws, and | | | | something that we regard as being greater than our |
| feelings such as exhilaration, joy and peace are | | | | individual selves. It is only natural. Travel encourages a |
| triggered. Time seems to stand still. Our intuitive | | | | sense of unity with all beings everywhere. Through |
| capacity is increased, leading us to reach the Self and | | | | travel we acquire a sense that we all share in the |
| contact it fully. This is called an insight or "Illumination", | | | | same destiny. So rather than confining ourselves to our |
| that "AHA" moment, where we arrive at a new level | | | | own local communities and remaining in a stagnant |
| of awareness. And when an insight or illumination does | | | | mindset about the world, now more than ever, it |
| appear, it sometimes reveals something that may | | | | makes so much sense to explore our wonderful world |
| have even been staring at us in the face all along. | | | | and travel more. The planet is in dire need for human |
| The opportunity to silence the mind during my own | | | | beings to start resonating with each other, despite our |
| personal travels has enabled me to find practical | | | | cultural differences. No man is an island, as we have |
| solutions to problems, the courage to change direction | | | | seen from the more recent financial meltdown. What |
| in my life at pivotal moments, and has provided me | | | | has happened in Wall Street has affected us all on a |
| with the fertile grounds to think creatively. I have also | | | | global scale. We now have the opportunity to raise |
| observed that insights come as "feelings", and so the | | | | awareness and reverse the process through the art |
| insights vanish when the feeling vanishes. I have found | | | | of travel. |
| that registering the insight on a mental level, like | | | | Our outer world is simply a reflection of our own inner |
| recording it into a diary, journal or workbook, fully | | | | process. As without, so within. And as wonderful as |
| assimilates the insights on a mental level. By recording | | | | the world is, it is no match for the beauty and depths |
| insights, it anchors your thoughts, and thus forms the | | | | of our imagination and own soul. And yet we can |
| beginning of a gradual unfolding. | | | | reach those depths via the richness of our world. The |
| 2. Travel gives us the opportunity to be touched by | | | | colours, languages, peoples, cultures, sounds, smells, |
| beauty. | | | | taste sensations, art, all are part of a rich tapestry that |
| Beauty can be described as a certain visual harmony, | | | | forms our world heritage, and it's just waiting for us to |
| a spontaneous aesthetic experience. It is elusive, highly | | | | discover and enjoy it. |
| personal, it's impact unpredictable, and yet is as integral | | | | So act now and book that honeymoon travel |
| to our human survival as Oxygen. Beauty is healing, | | | | destination, or that Summer holiday to somewhere that |
| regenerative, uplifting. Beauty allows us to put our pains | | | | you haven't been to before. Bring your diary, journal or |
| and problems aside and helps us succeed in forgetting | | | | workbook to record all those great insights and ideas |
| ourselves. It reveals unknown worlds and nameless | | | | that will come to you along the way, and don't forget |
| possibilities. Beauty lightens our greed. As human | | | | your camera so that you can capture the beauty |
| beings, we have the choice to increase our aptitude in | | | | around you. |