Reflections after 21,000 kilometers
It’s been almost 3 months and 21,000 kilometers on the road since I started this Journey on June 3, 2012. Starting in Ottawa, I have traveled on foot, camel, bicycle, car, convertible, 4×4’s, airplanes, trains, boats, buses, even chicken buses with a live chicken in my lap in Morocco. I have been to farms and forests, mountains and seas, rivers and lakes, cities, villages and prehistoric sites, even the edge of the Sahara. I have met people of all backgrounds from all corners of the world.
What can I tell you is my greatest discovery of all so far?
We are all the same and yet unique individually. Wherever I am, I see people the same, irrespective of their traditions and culture. You may think that it is not fair to make a direct comparison between people living in Lisbon to the nomads of the Sahara but these days the two groups have a lot more in common than you may realize. For one, places I have been, I have seen the effects of globalization. Everyone from the east coast of Canada to the Berbers of Morocco have been affected by the global financial crisis. The people of the world are more connected than ever before — and I am not talking just technology. Every action we take in the developed world has the potential to affect people half way around the world, which eventually affects us too.
To me our “global suffering” perhaps points to the possibility for global celebration. Basically as individuals, families, or communities we want the same things. Things like food, shelter, safety, and the opportunity to apply ourselves to something meaningful, something greater than us. There are more resources and plenty of education available to us today than ever before to develop sustainable systems to support citizens around the world. What I fee often missing is the genuine willingness to cooperate for the common good particularly at certain levels of society.
To give you an example, if the different “regions” of Spain that exist within the Iberian peninsula chose to unite as one culturally and racially diverse nation and put aside their independent struggle to form micro nations, I have no doubt that the country would break the shackles of debt and depression to emerge as the powerful nation it once was. But I digress.
I wanted to tell you about the greatest thing I have discovered over the past 21,000 kilometers and I tell you it’s hope for humanity. Though the world may seem like a challenging place right now, I have met people who hold the keys to change for the better. Believe me YOU are one of them! Seek, reflect, take action!
An adventurer need to be valiant to navigate through changing winds, sometimes it means changing course.
About The Author
Urooj Qureshi is pro Adventurer and storyteller. Follow his adventures on Instagram @uroojqureshi.
Originally published at http://www.living-being.com on August 30, 2012.
