Nowadays when I travel away from the locales, I rarely feel lost. Every place seems to welcome me with open arms along with all their perfections & imperfections! Many places don’t feel too alien or too familiar. Is the world becoming smaller or have I been watching too many travel shows on the tele? I’m not quite sure. But I still want to go and explore unknown places & understand more cultures.It intrigues me and only affirms the belief that we are all driven by the same core values -unless we are supremely evil or unabashedly good! Either of these extremes are extremes in all cultures & civilisations. There’s no exception happening there.

Todays world though is more willing to learn about each other with the intention being curiosity rather than the need to conquer/eradicate etc the other. And travelling seems to be one of the best ways of gaining knowledge about peoples & places. When you go to new places only to find the other side is as real and as human, it’s a wake up call for many of us. This call happens at a subconscious level I guess & we become more accepting of others.

It’s important to understand this acceptance. Many cultures & societies only want to be accepted in some way or the other. It’s the need to be accepted that drives many groups of people & individuals- be it acceptance of faith, acceptance of personality, individual, beliefs, traditions, etc. When someone doesn’t get accepted, there’s a feeling of rejection for the other. In some people this rejection brings out negative emotions which aren’t good for anyone involved. It only creates distances. This doesn’t mean that we accept anything & everything. It’s just an observation of how non-acceptance can lead to alienation! It then takes enlightened individuals or groups of such individuals to dispel situations such as these.

As you travel & broaden your mind & spirit, many times you come across or hear of such individuals who are striving to bridge the gaps between struggling people. Most of them seem to say the same thing – they teach & spread the message of love, friendship, understanding & peace. The core of all religions also preaches the same humane values.