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Reflective Temporal Travel
Unfortunately, the year 2015 is close upon us, and while we have been graced with both Pepsi Max and Nike MAGs (although, not self-lacing, sadly), we still haven’t seen the release of “Jaws 19,” Mattel hover boards, or flying cars, not to mention the construction of a fully loaded DeLorean time machine. Fret not, my friends, we don’t need Doc Brown’s marvelous time traveling contraption to actually travel through time; there’re other ways to do so (and they don’t involve run-ins with Morlocks, either). You’re probably thinking you just missed the news on Twitter that someone invented a time machine, but alas, no, that is not the case.
Rather, I’m talking about a simple temporal experience you can have while traveling. Yes, not only can you travel geographically on a spatial level, but you can also travel temporally as well. What’s exciting about this is that you don’t even have to travel to far off places like Khartoum; you can do this while you visit relatives in a nearby city, or neighboring state. It really just involves a state of mind, one that acknowledges and understands the past, an understanding which spans both the good and the bad of history.
When we travel, we often get caught up in the excitement that new places, peoples, and experiences offer us. There are many sites and sounds and a plethora of activities and places you want to see. Travel, as an action and an experience, has also been highly commodified around the world as the growth of tourism has exploded during the past few decades. Such commodification produces many pros and cons, but they also tend to create a sense of urgency amongst us as travelers. There’s only a set time frame to visit a museum, you can only go on the beach Tuesday afternoon, the train ride takes too long, and you’ll miss your next bus, so you have to skip the train, etc. But even if you’re pressed for time, or are on a short travel experience, it is not only possible, but necessary, that you take a small amount of your time for reflective purposes.
What do you, as a traveler, bring forth to the people and places you are visiting? Presumably you are contributing to the economy and growth of your travel destination, but, beyond that, what connection do you form with the people, and the physical spaces you visit? What sort of cultural exchange of ideas and values do you hope to gain from your journey? When you leave, what do you want the locals that you visited to think of you? If you travel internationally, what do you want others to think of you as a person and you as a member of a different nation or cultural group? In some ways, you are an ambassador on the behalf of others.
When the time comes to return home to your friends and family, what do you as a traveler, bring back? Hundreds of digital photos? Souvenirs? Pamphlets? A sunburn? Another stamp in your passport? Some of these are great to have, and they do serve as nice mementos, but, what do you bring back on a personal, intellectual level? If you visit Rome, for example, you become one of millions who visits the city, yet you also join a group of travelers that have visited Rome over the course of a millennium. What common experiences might you share with a traveler during the 1960s? The 1730s? How about during the final years of Rome, during the 400s? What about someone from the year 2050?
Obviously, each example represents a very different time period in history, yet, there is something about the human spirit that unites you with all those other travelers. We all have an inherent yearning to learn and discover new experiences. We are curious, and traveling helps quench that curiosity. It helps us understand who we are and how we are all members of one large, global society. The world is different out there, but amongst those differences, are also people very similar to you. There are people who are curious, people who have bills to pay, people who have to go to school, construction workers building bridges, politicians pushing reforms, and children playing in the street.
So the next time you embark on a trip, take a moment to think of others from the past who took similar journeys, perhaps with the same passion and enthusiasm as you. Take a moment to connect and respect the history of your destination; don’t just visit a castle, attempt to form a connection with that physical space. I can guarantee you that understanding your destination’s past will help explain a great deal of the experiences you will have there, and further enhance them as well. Furthermore, you’ll gain a greater sense of respect from the locals, as they realize you are truly there to learn and connect with them, rather than just wanting to collect photos to upload to Facebook.
So while we still may have to wait awhile for DeLorean time machines, just remember in the meantime, you can embark on your own temporal journey, using your mind and physical surroundings.
Photos: Above, center: Moche Valley, near Trujillo, Perú; Above, right: Nerja, Spain; Above left: ToruÅ�, Poland; Lower, right: Nerja, Spain
