The availability and cheapness of travel have diminished its meaning. Crowds of people mindlessly move from one place to another, thinking only of what they will eat, where to stay overnight, and what photos they’ll post on social media.
Does the automated, parasocial competitiveness of travel take away its depth? That spirit of transformation, knowledge, and experience of other people, their land, and cultures. For me, travel is a metaphysical: a double-vision of what is outside and the inner mystery of the place. The place always has its own message — its holiness. I approach a location like a pilgrim seeking enlightenment, direction, or blessing. When I return, I’ve become a dozen of facets of that place; I have its smell and taste within me; its combined wisdom, created by a million human thoughts wandering through time and space.
