I’m writing this Wednesday, the day after election day. The Blue Wave happened. Some of my friends are ecstatic. Some predict doom. It’s like this every time.
In an out of character move Monday, I posted a political message on Facebook. Years ago, I swore off politics in my social media posts. I’d descend into arguments, which only made ME angry. Monday, I promised myself that I would not reply to any comments on my post, regardless of whether they agreed with me or not. Today, Facebook says the post got well over 14,000 viewers and well over 400 reactions. For an influencer, that’s chump change. For me, those are big numbers, and like I promised myself, I responded to none of the comments.
However, one comment caught me off guard and made me start to reach for the keyboard. It was a friend who said because of who I was supporting for governor, I had obviously spent too much time in California, and my time out there was impacting my good sense and my judgement. Well, I do travel to California a good bit for work, and my time out there has taught me many things, just like my time traveling anywhere has taught me many things. As long as your head’s up, you keep your eyes open and remain curious, travels will teach you many things. I think that’s the best part of travel. I want to come home after each trip changed in some small way.
Mark Twain famously wrote in his book, The Innocents Abroad, that travel is helpful, in fact essential, to seeing other’s points of view. He wrote:
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”
I thought about my friend who jabbed me about my time in California. We’re not close friends, so I can’t be sure about this, but I don’t think he’s hardly ever left this neck of the woods. If he has, I don’t know about it, and if he has, I suspect it’s on a tour or a cruise ship surrounded by people just like him, and they point out to each other what is wrong or different about where they are. They’ve changed their setting, but they haven’t really left home. That type of travel doesn’t count.
In December I travel to Vietnam to give a speech. A few people I have told about this upcoming trip have said: “I wouldn’t go there. They’re communist,” and it’s true. Vietnam is a communist country. It’s very different and, well, I’m very curious to go there because they’re very different. What will I see? What will I learn? How might my prejudice, bigotry, and narrowmindedness change from my trip?
I’m tempted to reply to this guy in my Facebook post, but the ensuing argument would only make me angry.
I’m Cam Marston, just trying to Keep it Real.
