Being Someone Different While Traveling
In Rolf Potts’ Vagabond’s Way one of the many lessons he shares is that traveling allows one to be “someone else”. Reading that reminded me of something I’ve often thought of through the years: Who would I be if I was not who I am? Growing up we develop into the person that we think others want us to be. What I mean by that is that who we become is strongly influenced by our parents, our peers, and our community. We want to fit in, we want other’s approval and acceptance, so we follow a path that we perceive is expected of us. How we dress, how we perceive the body, how we pursue a career, a marriage, a life, is all mediated by the expectations we perceive from others. ...