Perspective, part 2: Travel

The extremes of where I have been:

North: Lyngby, Denmark
East: Ankara, Turkey
South: Orlando, Florida, USA
West: Tuscon, Arizona, USA
Shown above is the smallest rectangle you could draw on a world map that includes all of the places I have been. As a percentage of the world, it is still a bit small, but I am doing better than a lot of people in history. Also, I know some people who have never left New England, so that makes me feel fortunate. What does your rectangle look like? What would you like it to look like?

If you want me to make a map like this for you, just let me know the extremes of the places you have been, and I will see what I can do.

Anyway, all of this thought about travel makes me wonder... do I know the half of what things are like in China or what a Chinese person thinks about? I have never been to China so how could I? Is it even fair to use a term like "Chinese person"? Aren't they all different? When I was in Turkey and Denmark, I was very interested in what the Turks and Danes thought about Americans. Inevitably I was always asked early in a conversation where exactly I was from. I got sort of a strange feeling when I told them I am American because I don't feel like I am just an American. Or just any other one thing. I don't consider myself a typical American or an accurate representative of an American. But what is a typical American? Clearly, I have been reading the book "On Identity" by Amin Maalouf lately. (Read it.) In the book, the author describes some of the dangers of categorizing people and deep-rooted loyalties based on local societal expectations. I like to think of sports fanhood in this regard.

A diehard Redsox fan is so because he/she was raised this way and all their closest friends are also fans. A diehard Redsox fan has less repect for a stranger who is a Yankeees fan, than a stranger who is a Redsox fan based soley on this one thing. But the Yankees fan is a Yankees fan for very much the same reasons that the Redsox fan is a Redsox fan. It is all about their local societal expectations. The Yankees fan probably grew up in New York, the Redsox fan probably grew up in or near Massachusetts. And so conflict and discrimination arise out of almost nothing.

Fan violence in baseball is not very noteworthy, but when these sorts of tensions arise over something like religion or who was on the righteous side of a violent conflict, a lot of strife can ensue. It takes someone with a more open mind to see the other side. If that other side is a country that one that one has never visited, then I think paying a visit to that country and living like the people there can really help to see their view.

Is there a word for something that is obvious but still needs to be stated?

Let me know what you think about all this. Also, if you haven't emailed me your colors from the post below, go ahead and give it go when you have a moment.