The moral duty of a traveller

I read some interesting thoughts about travelling and education on the Out of Eden Walk's blog. I already talked about this project a few weeks ago on this post.

Here is my take about travelling, education and how the two things are related.

Besides posting nice pictures, giving tips on places to see and writing how cool travelling is, I deeply believe that travellers have a very important task and a moral duty.

Even though it's easier than what most people think, travelling is not for everyone, because of possibilities, attitudes, personal problems and other impediments. For this reason, travellers are lucky to be able to live some experiences (unforgettable meetings, discovery of new cultures, breathtaking views, etc.) that are precluded to those who cannot travel. Travelling means learning, extending one's knowledge, making connections, widening perspectives and, at the end, developing a global consciousness.

We are lucky enough to have technologies that allow people to spread information as never before. While sharing travelling stories through a screen doesn't give the same emotions as going on a real journey, it can surely inspire other people. The least a traveller can do is saying "look, the real world is different than what you might imagine, there's a lot to discover out there, the people we call foreigners are not as bad as they make us think, go check it out yourself if you can". In this way, the traveller's individual growth is extended to the society around him.

In my opinion, travelling and education are strongly connected.

Go, learn, understand, share: that's the moral duty of a traveller.

A hundred times a day I remind myself that my inner and outer life depend on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the measure as I have received and am still receiving. (Albert Einstein)

Migration: Paul Salopek's Out of Eden Walk

December 18 is International Migrants Day.

Migrations have frequently occurred in the recent history of mankind, almost everywhere around the world. Now, since the world is becoming smaller and smaller, the migration routes are becoming big highways: today more than 200 million people are migrants, according to the data of the United Nations.

Yet, migration is far from being considered a normal phenomenon, especially when it comes to seeing foreigners arrive in our own country. Immigration and emigration have changed the history of many European countries, with some dramatic cases standing out: around half of the Albanians live away from their countries of origin (Albania and Kosovo).

Millions of Europeans left in search of a better life in North and South America, and it's been only after World War II that Europe has started receiving a considerable amount of immigrants.

But... Where did it all begin? Africa, Rift Valley. After wandering around the Continent for a while, our common ancestors decided to walk around the globe and set foot on most of the lands of this planet.

Now, in 2013, the journalist Paul Salopek (read biography here) has decided to walk on the pathways of the humans who first colonized the world: he started an awesome, mind-blowing 7-year journey by foot, beautifully documented in his project called Out of Eden Walk.

Give a look to the website and to the related contents: simply amazing!

http://www.outofedenwalk.com/

(also on Facebook, Twitter, National Geographic, NY Times article...)

"The guiding star of the walk’s storyline isn’t me. It’s the journey itself, the swarm of ideas and people encountered along the road. The opportunities to link the ambulatory journalism to education are nearly limitless." (Paul Salopek)

Out of Eden Walk Trailer from Out of Eden Walk on Vimeo.