Real talk: I care a lot about what other people think. I try really, really hard not to--but it’s difficult for me to let go of my inner desire to be liked. So I worry: I like this outfit, but is it “too much?” If I talk about climate change or the negative effects of certain tourist industries on my blog, will I open myself up to bullying from others? What if people only want to hear the fluffy travel stories and will leave if I start talking about serious topics? Part of this is practical. I don’t want to alienate people. I want to go through life causing the least amount of harm possible, and although I know it’s inevitable that I’ll hurt or offend someone, I still want to be careful with my words and actions. Unfortunately, this can lead to overthinking, and then I don’t say anything at all. But saying nothing can actually be worse than saying something unpopular. If we retreat into ourselves, if we hold the truth close to our chest out of fear of repercussions if we share, we are doing the world a disservice. Travel affords me the opportunity to see how many other people around the world live. It gives me the opportunity to pay attention to what’s around me, both at home and abroad, and helps me reconnect with the earth and all of her children. It also gives me the opportunity to see a lot of problems in this world, problems which I haven’t always been very good about addressing. Slum tourism. Animal cruelty. The real effects of single-use plastics. We need to live honestly. The world needs to hear your voice, needs you to speak up about the issues that matter to you… because odds are, the issues that matter to you matter to a whole lot of other people, too. So how do we do this? 1. ListenI know, it seems a little counter-intuitive: listen when you want to speak? But by listening before we speak, we can better understand the whole situation and other people’s point of view. It’s important to listen to people on both sides of the argument--for example, we absolutely should listen to what scientists are saying about the realities of climate change, but it’s also valuable to understand why people don’t believe them. Although providing naysayers with the facts isn’t necessarily effective, by understanding their point of view, we can open a dialogue with them, and hopefully begin to bridge the gap. Other times, we need to listen and trust when people tell us we are wrong. This is particularly important when we travel, where we may not know what’s rude or not. For example, although climbing Uluru is at the top of a lot of people’s bucket lists, it’s actually incredibly disrespectful, not to mention unsafe. When we’re guests in another country or area, it’s important to behave respectfully, just like we would want visitors to our home to be respectful, too! Speaking the truth is important, but it’s more important to make sure that what we’re saying is really the truth before we speak. Living honestly is essential, but we need to make sure that what we think is the right thing to do really is right. 2. Consider the RepercussionsWhat will be the consequences if you don’t speak? What will be the consequences if you do? Sometimes, I decide it’s not worth it to engage with people. If a stranger is spouting hurtful comments online, they’re probably not in the mood for an honest discussion (much less another stranger telling them they’re wrong), so I have to decide if it will be in both of our best interests for me to talk with them. If I’m exhausted and don’t have the mental energy for a difficult discussion, sometimes I need to put it off--for my own well-being. On the flipside, sometimes staying silent can hurt people more in the long run. Not speaking up when someone you care about has a false viewpoint means they will likely continue to believe they’re in the right (and perhaps that you agree with them). If their misconceptions are causing problems in their life or the lives of others, consider if and how you can help them overcome this. Likewise, we need to consider the consequences of our actions. When I’m traveling, does spending my money at a foreign-owned hotel/restaurant/tour company do anything to help the local community? Where do all my plastic bottles go when I travel, and can I use a reusable water bottle instead? Sure, it’s easier for me to be wasteful and carefree when I travel, but who does that hurt? I could write all day about how to travel ethically, in a more sustainable and eco-friendly way, but that's worthy of its own post. For now, I urge you to begin with considering what your impact is, both on your immediate surroundings and the world at large, and what sort of impact you want to have. 3. Actions Speak Louder Than WordsCliches are overused for a reason, y’all. You don’t need to make a big, dramatic speech on Instagram to make a change. One of my favorite ways of doing this is donating to charities before I travel. If you know a country has a problem you’re likely to encounter--be it child beggars, animal tourism abuse, etc--you can donate beforehand to reputable local charities which help combat these issues. You’ll be doing a good thing, and I know it certainly decreases my anxiety and sadness when I encounter these problems to know that I’ve taken steps to help. 4. Let Go of FearIt’s scary to speak up. It’s even scarier talking about controversial issues to people you know don’t necessarily agree with you. There will be people who argue that I’m overstepping here, who think that I shouldn’t use my platform to talk about these issues, and think I should just “stick to travel.” But guess what? This is totally essential to travel--at least, the kind of travel I care about, which is focused on interconnectedness, self-growth and joy. I can’t swoop into another country and fix all their problems any more than I can wave a magic wand and fix all the problems in my own country. What I can do is recognize when to use whatever platform I have to speak up about issues that affect all of us. It’s scary. It’s hard to speak when you know people are going to disagree with you--and when those people may also be the ones closest to you. But we have to do it. If we don’t, we’re not doing our part to make the world a better place. This is the world we all have to live in--shouldn’t we all try to speak up for the truth to make it a better place? Like this post? 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Hi, there! Call me Kris. I’m a world traveler, author and artist working to showcase the world's beauty and inspire you to find your confidence to see the world!
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