One of the things I liked most about my time in the U.S. Air Force is that I got to travel. I made sure that anytime there was a tour going to some place I hadn't been, I was there. At first, my travels were limited to just the United States but, by the time I was in my late twenties, I knew that I had to see the rest of the world.
Starting with Germany, my travels took me to France, England, Italy, Bosnia, Norway, The Netherlands, Spain, Japan, Taiwan, and Mexico. At first, my motivation for going was purely because of the money and I got paid more for overseas trips (per diem). As I got older, my motivation became knowledge and that is what brings me to the reason for this post.
It has occurred to me that a lot of the guys I grew up with (and a lot of Americans period) have never really been anywhere. I know some guys here who have never been anywhere but Atlantic City... and, if you live in New York or Philadelphia, you know that that's not far. Some folks haven't been out of their neighborhood and it's a shame because, when you limit yourself to just your surroundings and to people who look and think like you, you limit yourself to a whole world of possibilities. I think everybody who can, should travel to some place different at least once a year. If you can go to another country, even if it's in this hemisphere but, by all means do so.
I didn't come from a wealthy family... my beginnings were quite humble. I would say that we were lower middle class at best but, I was able to use the opportunities that were available to get a college education and travel to other countries. I will say that getting out of Philadelphia and seeing how other people lived changed my thinking a lot. For one thing, I began to appreciate what I have in America a lot more. I've been in countries where people of my particular class can't even dream of owning a house or where three square meals a day is a major achievement and not an expectation.
I've also learned enough of the native languages to talk to the common people in these lands. One thing I learned is that, in most countries, it's not so much that they hate the American people... they hate American policies and alliances with governments that are holding them down. I've also seen some Americans go to these countries and disrespect the customs of the people there and treat these people as if their ways are beneath them and backwards. This goes a long way to understanding why some Americans are not thought of in such a good light by some people in some countries.
The average American citizen living in "inner city America" or "small town America" who has never been outside of their area, doesn't understand it when he sees people in Pakistan or Iraq burning American flags or burning our former president's image in effigy. They just think that these people are ignorant and hateful. They have no idea what is sometimes done abroad in their name at any given time by people representing our government.
Many people were stunned on September 11, 2001 and they really didn't understand that there are people who hate America, whether justified or not abroad. Just as many people are shocked that our "little recession" is being felt around the world. The reason why is because they don't understand the global markets and how they are all interwoven... that doesn't make interesting reading. Nobody I know personally reads a foreign newspaper or watches a foreign news station. If you have cable, BBC News is broadcasted nightly as well as Spanish News and Japanese news. It's all on basic cable and I watch everything. I have a natural curiosity and I like to know how other countries report the same things that I see on CNN.
In this millennium, with what is going on now, I think it would be good for every American to start thinking globally... to make it his or her business to read just a little of what is being reported in other countries. To learn about the global markets and how they effect you. And, if you can't do anything else, take a vacation somewhere out of the United States, talk to people, and consider another point of view. We can't afford xenophobia any longer.
(That's why I went to college... so I could throw around cool words like that and dumbfound mah friends. Just joking!)
Starting with Germany, my travels took me to France, England, Italy, Bosnia, Norway, The Netherlands, Spain, Japan, Taiwan, and Mexico. At first, my motivation for going was purely because of the money and I got paid more for overseas trips (per diem). As I got older, my motivation became knowledge and that is what brings me to the reason for this post.
It has occurred to me that a lot of the guys I grew up with (and a lot of Americans period) have never really been anywhere. I know some guys here who have never been anywhere but Atlantic City... and, if you live in New York or Philadelphia, you know that that's not far. Some folks haven't been out of their neighborhood and it's a shame because, when you limit yourself to just your surroundings and to people who look and think like you, you limit yourself to a whole world of possibilities. I think everybody who can, should travel to some place different at least once a year. If you can go to another country, even if it's in this hemisphere but, by all means do so.
I didn't come from a wealthy family... my beginnings were quite humble. I would say that we were lower middle class at best but, I was able to use the opportunities that were available to get a college education and travel to other countries. I will say that getting out of Philadelphia and seeing how other people lived changed my thinking a lot. For one thing, I began to appreciate what I have in America a lot more. I've been in countries where people of my particular class can't even dream of owning a house or where three square meals a day is a major achievement and not an expectation.
I've also learned enough of the native languages to talk to the common people in these lands. One thing I learned is that, in most countries, it's not so much that they hate the American people... they hate American policies and alliances with governments that are holding them down. I've also seen some Americans go to these countries and disrespect the customs of the people there and treat these people as if their ways are beneath them and backwards. This goes a long way to understanding why some Americans are not thought of in such a good light by some people in some countries.
The average American citizen living in "inner city America" or "small town America" who has never been outside of their area, doesn't understand it when he sees people in Pakistan or Iraq burning American flags or burning our former president's image in effigy. They just think that these people are ignorant and hateful. They have no idea what is sometimes done abroad in their name at any given time by people representing our government.
Many people were stunned on September 11, 2001 and they really didn't understand that there are people who hate America, whether justified or not abroad. Just as many people are shocked that our "little recession" is being felt around the world. The reason why is because they don't understand the global markets and how they are all interwoven... that doesn't make interesting reading. Nobody I know personally reads a foreign newspaper or watches a foreign news station. If you have cable, BBC News is broadcasted nightly as well as Spanish News and Japanese news. It's all on basic cable and I watch everything. I have a natural curiosity and I like to know how other countries report the same things that I see on CNN.
In this millennium, with what is going on now, I think it would be good for every American to start thinking globally... to make it his or her business to read just a little of what is being reported in other countries. To learn about the global markets and how they effect you. And, if you can't do anything else, take a vacation somewhere out of the United States, talk to people, and consider another point of view. We can't afford xenophobia any longer.
(That's why I went to college... so I could throw around cool words like that and dumbfound mah friends. Just joking!)
