On Connection, not Division

Celebrating our Sameness

I’ve been wondering lately how people are feeling, emotionally, with some of the things we’re seeing happening in the world.

I know for myself that I can and have struggled when there seems to be so much conflict in the world, between countries, groups, religions, communities, genders and even families.
I like harmony, connection, and togetherness, and while there has and probably always will be division, at the moment it just seems way off balance, doesn’t it!

And that, being out of balance, I find it challenging at times, and I don’t mind confessing that it can all start to feel a little hopeless at times, mostly when I get caught up in it all.
It’s in those times that I have to take a step back and look at things from a different perspective, and also to remember to stay grounded.

I have to remember the amazing people that I’ve met over the last ten years of full-time travel, the willingness of strangers to reach out and lend a helping hand when they could have just carried on by.
It’s very often not the big travel experiences that have stood out, but the acts of kindness that we’ve witnessed along the way.
I remember when we were in China, and we had to get a bus to our destination, and we had no idea which bus we needed, and no one spoke any English except this one young woman, who spoke a tiny bit, who didn’t just tell us what bus to take, but actually got on the bus with us ( and this was no short journey) and then when we had to change bus and she had to leave us she got someone else to escort us the rest of the way.
Nobody has to do that, but kindness is everywhere.

It’s through the exploration of different places around our planet that you get that sense of being the same as everyone else.
Yes, we are all unique, and we have cultural, religious and societal differences, but underneath all of that, we’re the same.
We all have the same needs, we all have the same emotions, we all suffer, we can all feel joy, we all feel sadness, we all want to love and be loved.
No matter where we’re from, we can all share a smile or laugh and cry together.

I believe we should celebrate our own uniqueness, our differences, but at the same time remembering our sameness and that we’re all in this together.

It’s when we get too attached to the differences that we start to view others as something else; we start to use words like “them and they”, in a derogatory way, which separates us and causes division between us.

When I remember all the kindness, caring, and friendliness we’ve experienced through our travels, it fills me with hope and encourages me to see the love that’s all around us.

The theme of this year’s Winter Olympics was ‘Togetherness’, and I feel like that’s what everyone wants and craves deep down.

Sending you love on this journey of ours.

Until next time
Stuart