Don’t Travel Anywhere 2024
Travel is a waste of money. It makes you want to forget things. Things such as where you’re from, who you’ve been in the past, and your future goals. It forces you to stay and live in the present. Just as peace is a period of cheating between two periods of war, travel is a period of cheating between two periods of wait and wanderlust. And, cheating is a sin. So why travel?
As humans we spend over 60% of our miserably short lives inside our heads, 20% staring aimlessly at a screen spewing hate, anguish, guilt, thirst, and misery. While not all of it may be accurate, all is indicative of how shitty the world we want to explore on our travels, truly is. So I ask again — why travel?
Debunking my claims:
Here’s the backdrop of my premise for this absurd observation:
“Travel is a waste of money” — They say that the currency of travel transcends mere monetary value. For in the currency of travel, every penny spent yields a wealth of memories, lessons, and personal growth. But, I say — no monies.
“It makes you want to forget things” — Is it in forgetting that we find freedom from the shackles of the past? No. It’s in learning from it. But, travel has other plans. Travel makes us release the burdens of who we were and embrace the endless possibilities of who we are, lest who we can become. To them I ask — I don’t know what I’ll have for dinner tonight, so why should I bother about who I can become after a month of haggle, toil and tire?
“Just as peace is a period of cheating between two periods of war, travel is a period of cheating between two periods of wait and wanderlust” — They say that travel is a transient recess from the relentless pursuit of our daily lives. To them, I ask — does putting your head under a pillow stop the bickering at home?
“As humans, we spend over 60% of our miserably short lives inside our heads” — But they say that it is in stepping outside of ourselves and immersing in new experiences that we find solace, connection, and understanding. To them, I say — Travel is just tangible escapism. If we fail to explore our own selves from within, what on Earth are we doing by exploring random places on Earth that can’t even speak our tongue?
I believe in standing my ground, holding down my fortress, and staying put, even if it is just within the four walls of my bedroom. Why explore the vast unknown when we can’t even explore the vast confines of our two-room apartments? Much like charity, travel too begins at home.
Besides, they also emphasize how travel leads to the progress of humanity. To them, I exclaim — True progress of humanity begins with the progress of the self. And this self-progress begins every day when we wake up and make our beds. Not when we leave the house in the name of travel — just for a handful of Instagram-worthy pictures.
It is much more perilous to navigate the storm at home, the treachery of domesticity. At least you’re the one in the driving seat. What’s the peril of the North Sea when it's your cruise captain that drives you around? Perhaps, running away from his wife who is angry not having met him for six months now.
So why travel? Comment below:
