We are born. We die. This will happen to us all. What we do in between those two events, however, is for us to decide. We can be whatever we want, do whatever we want, go wherever we want.

The world is at our fingertips. Back in the day, if you chose to stay in or near your hometown for your whole life without traveling to see different places, then that was all you knew. In today’s world, with technology giving us the ability to learn about other places and their cultures while sitting on our couch, we can explore as many cultures as we want. And yet, do we?

Advances in transportation has made it easier to see more of the world, whether it be seeing more of your own country or visiting a different one. Advances in technology has made it so simple to learn about these different places. There is no excuse for naivety or to be uninformed. Now, obviously, it is not reasonable to expect people to become experts on every country, and the people and cultures they contain, that might come up in conversation. But if you’re going to offer up a comment or your opinion about a place or a culture, then I do fully expect you to have some background knowledge of it first. Far too often I hear comments about places and their people and those comments are based on stereotypes and prejudices. So many people are too quick to speak from a place of ignorance when it is easily avoidable.

The root of this problem is easy to ascertain. People fear and hate what they do not understand. And that is all this is. A lack of understanding. The good news is there is a simple solution. Visit other places. Check out museums. If you cannot make it to another country, visit somewhere else within your own. The US is a great example. The people and cultures that exist within Florida are so much different than those in Maine or Wyoming or New Mexico or Kentucky. Heck, even within New York state, New York City is drastically different than upstate NY and the wine country and other areas.

Now, visiting other places is not for everyone. Maybe it will be anxiety overload. Maybe it is not in the budget. Maybe there are a whole host of responsibilities that cannot be neglected. Whatever the reason, that is okay. There are still ways for you to explore and learn about other places and cultures. Listen to music from another country. Watch TV shows and movies produced by other countries. Learn a different language. Read a book written by a foreign author. I promise you, you will find that people that do not look like you or speak the same language as you are more similar to you than you think. Their music, books, movies, and shows are about the same things as ours. Love, family, and friendship. Rejection, hurt, and despair. The pain and joy in the search to find yourself. Obstacles faced and overcome. In the end, they all want the same thing as we do. To live a happy, fulfilled life surrounded by the people they love.

If we keep ourselves confined to our small, little corners of the world, we are blinding ourselves to the rest of the world, and the world is beautiful. We have the ability to take the blinders off; there is no reason not to remove them. The world is vast. Its people are beautiful. And if you give them a chance, you’ll discover how special they are and that there is nothing to fear. So take flight and see the world. It is waiting for you.

The lyrics for this post’s title came from Childish Gambino’s Outside

Note: This purpose of this post is raise awareness, not to call anyone out, and it is not directed at any one person in particular. That being said, if you feel it is directed at you or feel defensive while reading it, then perhaps there is something within yourself you need to review about why you feel that way. Acknowledge it, then do better.