[IOTD][#10] I’m a world traveller, but it’s not the typical definition you think

Originally published on Medium on September 22, 2018 · Written by hand, Pre-AI era.

Define: world

Have it ever occur to you there is a few definitions of the word “world” and we sometimes use it without thinking too much about its meaning?!

When we describe someone as a “world traveller”, it would probably means a person who travels extensively, to many countries, and even living a nomad life. In this case “world” means the physical earth.

And then we occasionally judge a person by saying “he’s living in his own world”. The underlying meaning of that sentence is, surprisingly, complex. We learnt the saying from friends, family, relatives and then repeat it when similar situation arises. So what does it really mean in this case? The implication of someone living in his own world is such that we outsiders wouldn’t be able to understand him, wouldn’t empathise with his inner struggles, joy, sadness, choices, etc… He is isolated.

Nowaday, I don’t physically travel to other countries much. Still, I’m a world traveller, I travel to different worlds in a newly found sense. I discover so many more worlds that were in my blindspot, by simply talking to new people everyday, trying to peek at how one lives their live.

I learnt so much in daily conversations from an incredible wide range of interesting background, from taxi drivers, street vendors, to CEOs and verteran businessmen. Luckily my jobs allowed me to do exactly that everyday.

It’s fascinating how we are living in silos, not knowing what’s really out there even though sometimes we sit next to an amazing person. Social conditioning led us to master the habit of judging a book by its cover without even think about it. Don’t believe me? Try imaging how a German is like? or a Japanese, or a Mexican farmer? Now try picturing a Chinese worker? See, you instantly retrieved a very specific images in your mind and think that is how someone with the same label is like.

The more I ‘travel’ the more I see that we are all alike, what makes us different is the surrounding environment, result of years of exposure. I don’t even need to physically travel, I already see so much everyday.

Finally, I’m living in my own world, would you like to join mine?