Aaron Miller
Get out of town. Leave Columbus — at least for a little while. Many people have already made travel plans for the summer. Now is the time of the year when I come down with a severe case of wanderlust. Travel isn’t easy. It’s expensive and time consuming. It can try your patience and leave you exhausted. Every once in awhile, it will even break your heart. But it is worth it.
Outside of education, travel has provided some of the most transformative experiences of my life. I have been a witness to the stunning vistas of volcanos, I’ve been lucky enough to see bison run wild in the Dakotas. I’ve also seen the devastating poverty and wretched conditions around the crumbling Packard plant in Detroit. You can’t help but to see things like this and be changed.
Travel pushes you outside of your comfort zone. You will be a different person when you come home. It will expand your horizons in unexpected ways.
Don’t go to make your friends jealous. That’s no good. Stay off of social media until you get back. Then you can share what you learned and encourage them to go next time. Instead, stay in the moment and enjoy your destination.
I think travel is essential to maintaining good mental health. I don’t have a scientific explanation for it, but I think that traveling is therapeutic. There is no doubt that nature, beaches and mountains have restorative powers on our health. But I also think that it gives your brain a rest from the frustrating and mundane details of daily life. While you are away, I hope you can put down the phone. Give up the texting and email. Giving our minds a chance to work on other problems, even if it is just navigating down the interstate or figuring out where to go to eat dinner, is a welcome change of pace. I don’t think you have to go far. While a trip to Hawaii or Australia would be amazing, just an overnight trip to Indianapolis or Ohio can be enough of an escape to work wonders.
Every so often, someone will tell me that they are reluctant to go to a so-called “red” state or “blue” state. First of all, those labels aren’t helpful. Secondly, no state is all one thing or another.
Texas has its fair share of liberals while California has plenty of areas that are conservative strongholds. But don’t let others decide for you. Go, see, experience, and decide for yourself.
More importantly, if there is any hope for our nation, we need to bridge these divides that have dominated the recent political and cultural discourse. I think many of these wedge issues are artificial and designed to sell commercials on cable television or generate donations to political action committees — but that’s a topic for another day.
Whether you go to Kentucky or China, you soon find out that people all over the world want the same things. They want to be loved and accepted. They want to provide for their families and build a brighter future. Understanding what connects us as human beings and how to overcome those issues that tear us apart is the only way to avoid conflict and make the world a better place.
Travel also makes you glad to come home. You appreciate what you have even more. You realize that we are fortunate to live in a special and unique place.
My bags aren’t packed. I am not sure when or where I am going. But I am ready to go.
Aaron Miller is one of The Republic’s community columnists and all opinions expressed are those of the writer. He has a doctorate in history and is an associate professor of history at Ivy Tech Community College-Columbus. Send comments to [email protected].
