Some digressions#
When I wrote this title, I couldn't help but listen to Chen Qi Zhen's "The Meaning of Travel" again.
Reluctantly speaking, every letter you sent to me is the reason you left
You leaving me is the meaning of travel
Although I have listened to this song countless times, it seems like the first time I have carefully read the lyrics. Then I realized that I resonated with it very much. Suddenly, I wanted to look up Chen Qi Zhen's MBTI, and sure enough, she is also an INFP...
What has travel brought me#
To be precise, what I want to discuss is not the meaning of travel (I just borrowed the title because I really like this song by Chen Qi Zhen). Because for me, the process of traveling is the process of creating a life experience, and travel itself is meaningful, just like life itself is meaningful. What I want to explore is what travel has brought me.
Since I learned the phrase "It is better to travel ten thousand miles than to read ten thousand books," I have been filled with infinite imagination about the distant places. And now, although there is still a long way to go, I have traveled thousands of miles. Looking back, traveling thousands of miles has indeed shaped my understanding of the world today. I have gained more confidence in admitting my insignificance and ignorance, and I have let go of a lot of ego. I am less afraid of being ridiculed by others (in short, I have thickened my skin). Travel has made me more tolerant and open-minded, and more respectful of the differences in the world.
This world does not have so many rules, so many unchallengeable things, so many things that are taken for granted, so much arrogance and ridicule.
For example, a set of definitions of beauty and ugliness only makes sense in a specific culture, and "culture" is just a generalization of what happens when some people gather together. This world is so different. In some places, people drink hot water; in some places, people drink cold water. In some places, toilet paper must be thrown in the toilet, while in some places, it can only be thrown in the trash. In some places, vehicles drive on the left, while in some places, they drive on the right. There are even places where vehicles drive on the left but pedestrians walk on the right. In some places, people are enthusiastic and unrestrained, while in some places, they are reserved and introverted... There are so many differences, and no one is more arrogant than anyone else. There are not so many rights and wrongs, only a certain degree of adapting to local customs.
Not only that, with the accumulation of experience, I have a better understanding of the logic behind the operation of this world. I have a sense of detachment and less idealism. I have more disdain for some so-called "good" things and more tolerance and new understanding of some "ugly" things.
Let me try to explain this more specifically. "Social etiquette" is a term that all Chinese people are familiar with. For a long time, I thought it was a feudal remnant and a persecution of collectivism. When it comes to social etiquette, all I can think of is flattery, sycophancy, bribery, and corruption. I envied the society where things are done according to clear rules. But now I gradually understand that it is just that different societies have different forms and different rules. It is not necessarily about giving gifts to show social etiquette. Making friends, throwing parties, giving gifts, or even having coffee together, these are all forms of social etiquette. And what might be even worse is that you may not realize that you need to "give gifts" to gain some resources because the resources that belong to you have already been preemptively taken away by the solidified form of class. Now I am more inclined to believe that if you think a society does not follow social etiquette, it is because it follows another set of rules that you do not understand yet, and you need to find it, learn it, and adapt to it. The world is ruthless, it has nothing to do with right or wrong, it's just rules.
Although travel has made me more tolerant and open-minded, that's not all. I must admit that I have become more inclined to ridicule those who are intolerant, paranoid, arrogant, and self-righteous. Not only that, I also ridicule those who are privileged but unaware, those who are politically correct for the sake of being politically correct, and those who are hypocritical and self-righteous.
It seems that I have once again stood on a moral high ground. I hope I am not. I try to learn to respond to paranoia and narrow-mindedness with an indifferent attitude.
Born with burdens#
As mentioned above, travel has broadened my mind and perspective, and perhaps, to quote a popular saying, through the ups and downs of life, I have seen that "life is a wilderness." But unfortunately, this is not the truth. The world is vast, but at the same time, it is also stubborn. Everyone is born with something inherent, some call it baggage, some call it a mission, and some call it responsibility. They will accompany us throughout our lives.
For example, in Spain, it seems that Chinese people here will always open bars and 100-yen shops, while Bangladeshis and Indians will open small shops, and Africans will always set up stalls. Under certain historical backgrounds, it seems that certain races naturally have fixed occupations. It's a predetermined destiny.
In the past, I always thought that a person's identity is determined by oneself, but unfortunately, the rules of this world are not so wishful thinking. If you have a Chinese face, no matter where you were born, no matter which country's passport you hold, you are always Chinese. But at the same time, you can also be American, or British, or Singaporean, and so on. Identity is inherently complex, and in a relatively inclusive society, everyone can fully accept this complexity.
I have seen some news before that some "rebellious" second-generation Chinese in Spain are unwilling to accept their parents' 100-yen shop bars. On the one hand, I think it's normal for young people to want to create their own space, but on the other hand, I secretly sigh. Some destinies cannot be escaped with just a few words of unwillingness. The cost of breaking something is immeasurable.
At the same time, I also understand the significance of inheritance. I have always been attracted by the spirit of freedom, independence, and equality. I don't like Chinese parents who always struggle for their children, and I don't like having to spend my parents' money. I always thought that parents and I are just coincidentally connected by biology. But unfortunately, this is not the truth. The fact is that today's world has come to this point through the support of generation after generation. And for thousands of years, there may only be one or two exceptions. Whether it is a well-paved road or a mess left behind, they were created by the ancestors, and the descendants can only bear them. It is because the predecessors of the great age of exploration accumulated enough wealth that the so-called citizens of the first world exist today; it is because of the hard work and endurance of the first generation of Chinese who left their hometowns that the second generation of Chinese is scattered around the world.
There is no freedom, independence, and equality in this world. If there is a God, we are equal after death. But unfortunately, there is no God, and when we die, we cease to exist.
Reflections on the self#
Looking back, my worldview has changed a lot over the years. It can be said that I have gained wisdom, or it can be said that the world has smoothed out my edges. Regardless of how it is said, it has indeed changed a lot.
"This world has no right or wrong, only differences." When I heard someone say this before, I sneered at it. I thought, of course, there is right and wrong in this world. Wrong is wrong, how can it be easily packaged as different. But now when I hear this sentence, I just remain silent. Question, understand, become.
Of course, there is still right and wrong, but I think about it less and less. Instead of thinking about what the world should be like, I want to focus more on understanding what the world is like now. This world has right and wrong, but adults don't make changes, they only make choices. While voting with my feet, I always remember that there is never a perfect answer.
Although I once heard in a philosophy class, "What the world is like does not mean what the world should be like," at that time, I was also excited. But now I just feel that I am just a small human being, not a saint. I don't have the ability to change anything, nor do I have the right to judge anything.
I am a bit confused. It seems too negative to look at the world in this way. This is not the person I want to become. I want to have a broad view of the world and appreciate the beauty of human beings, who can be as small as ants and as beautiful as gods. Is it beautiful to find a glimmer of hope in despair?
But it is also too painful.
Is knowledge a curse?
Young people, refrain from overthinking.