A few people asked me, “Why would you go to India? There’s so much poverty there!” One person I know never wants to travel to places unless they can be assured that they’ll only see what they see in the mirror.

One cannot nor should not ignore the poverty in India or, for that matter, in any country. Do I avoid these places because it’s easier to live in denial? Do I really want to spend my life obsessing over the latest, the newest, the biggest, the best and block out that people all over this planet live far below the poverty line or are dying from hunger and disease? Am I so self-consumed that I’ve lost any semblance of compassion?

What did I do to deserve the life I lead, the home I live in, the education I’ve received, the health care? Nothing! To repeat an earlier post, I just happen to be a member of “The Lucky Sperm Club”. Membership in that club carries very high, yet very satisfying dues—I must give back to the universe what has given so much abundance to me!

One more point (while I’m on a roll): When I travel I try to leave the U.S. in the U.S. What I mean is that I try to set aside what is “normal” according to citizens of our country. I have no right to judge another’s culture according to what I find comfortable. My comfort is about my history, my experiences, and wherever I am “today” is the culture I am to experience. Different doesn’t equal “bad”! Different is just “different!” If I immerse myself in another culture, I know I’ll discover so much more about myself, how I relate to others, to the world than I’m likely to discover in my safe routine back home. 

Last, the travel and tourism industry is one of the largest contributors to many countries’ economies. Traveling to places creates jobs and many properties and companies around the world give back to the society around them, to the people, the infrastructure, the environment. So, my friends, as Martha Stewart might say, “Travel is a good thing…a very, very good thing!”