
“Traveling as a means of escape doesn’t work. You’re still you whether you’re marveling in front of the Eiffel Tower or not. In fact, traveling to escape often exacerbates the problems, because then you’re unhappy in front of the Eiffel Tower, disappointed and thinking this was supposed to solve your problems,” she tells me. “I think travel enriches a life in a big way, because it expands your mind. Traveling has made me a more empathetic person, a less cocky American, and traveling has humbled me… but it’s very hard to see those parts of travel when you’re not right with yourself.”
The hard truth is, we tend to respect a person who is kind, but we look down on someone who is just nice. A kind person values herself. She’s able to handle conflict and constructive criticism, which makes her easygoing and approachable. A nice person has low self-esteem, so he’s afraid to stand up for himself and acts out of a fear of being criticized.