Travel Insights

This is a passage from The Pilgrimage, written by Paulo Coelho.  I found it to be rather insightful into the benefits of traveling.  Many of you are aware that I will be traveling to India soon to attend a conference put on by United Religions Initiative.  It is an NGO dedicated to ending violence done in the Name of God.  I am fortunate enough to have the freedom and capability to travel a bit before and after the conference...

"When you travel, you experience, in a very practical way, the act of rebirth.  You confront completely new situations, the day passes more slowly, and on most journeys you don't understand the language the people speak.  So you are like a child just out of the womb.  You begin to attach much more importance to the things around you because your survival depends on them.  You begin to be more accessible to others because they may be able to help you in difficult situations.  And you accept any small favor from the Gods with great delight, as if it were an episode you could remember for the rest of your life." 

...

"At the same time, since all things are new, you see only the beauty in them, and you feel happy to be alive.  That's why a religious pilgrimage has always been one of the most objective ways of achieving insight.  The word pecadillo, which means "a small sin," comes from pecus, which means "defective foot," a foot that is incapable of walking a road.  The way to correct the pecadillo is always to walk forward, adapting oneself to new situations and receiving in return all of the thousands of blessings that life generously offers to those who seek them."

...

"I am very glad to be here...because the work I did not finish is not important and the work I will be able to do after I get back will be so much better."

--Petrus (Paulo Coelho's guide on the Road to Santiago)