Four Reasons We Need to Travel to Defeat the Bad Guys

​​Crap. I'm packing and the cats have nestled in with the suitcases again. One is looking out at me in a truly satisfied way. Every time I travel he does this. But ... Is he onto something?

​​Cats live very much in the moment. They appreciate the small stuff. The daily treasures, the new discoveries, however small. So do dogs. But we as human beings tend to work so much at the expense of enjoying each moment, each day. At the expense of traveling. At the expense of defeating the bad guys. Yes, that's correct, defeating the bad guys: here's why.

We do four things very differently when we travel than when at home or work.

1. We observe things more acutely. Part of this is the survival instinct in a new place, being aware of each and every new sound, smell and sight. But we are very much in the moment when we are "away".
2. We slow down. That may seem counter-intuitive when we are traveling but we really are exploring; we do slow down to take in all the newness.
3. We let our inhibitions go for a while. Once we begin to relax after the initial onslaught of newness, we allow ourselves to enjoy that meal, that building, that sunset.
4. We realise that "others" are very much like "ourselves". How different and yet how similar in their human condition.

So, how does this affect the proverbial bad guys?

1. Bad guys do not want us to be aware. They find critical thinking reprehensible.
2. They do not want us to slow down. When we slow down, we think. Thinking does not serve their purpose.
3. They definitely do not want us to be uninhibited, to enjoy that sunset.
4. Most importantly, if we don't see others as "others", there is no enemy. No one to save us from. God forbid, so to speak.​

Until next weekend!