Why Travel Abroad To Help Repair The World

“Why would anyone need to go abroad to help repair the world when there is plenty to do back home?”

I’m in New York to hang out with Justifi alumni and have noticed that there are more homeless people than ever before. I googled it and found that 45.6% of New Yorkers are struggling to make ends meet. There are hidden slums around the city where families share one room apartments with makeshift walls to separate them from their neighbors. 

Latest statistics show that between 20 and 60 thousand people are trafficked into the USA every year from abroad. Add to that the thousands of people trafficked within the United States and you are faced with a serious and devastating issue. 

Why would anyone need to go abroad to help repair the world when there is plenty to do back home?

“It’s not that people don’t care about others, nor that they lack the desire to help others, it’s just that there are so many pressures of keeping up with ourselves and the society around us, pressures from outside and inside of us, that we don’t have enough time and energy to help ourselves, let alone other people. ”

Talking to my friends in New York, a general pattern has started to emerge. People here are so career driven that they are spending most of their day studying, working, interviewing, hustling and bustling. After work there are other important things that must be done. Dating for a start. Manhattan, with its population of 1.62 million people can be the loneliest place on earth. People need to go out to meet someone in a bar, at an event, through friends, J-date or J-swipe.  Then there’s health to think about. Many people manage to get to the gym a few times a week or go for a run in the park. By the time people get home they are usually too tired to do anything apart from collapse on the couch, maybe watch a show and go to bed. 
When is there time, space, and opportunity to think about changing the world?  It’s not that people don’t care about others, nor that they lack the desire to help others, it’s just that there are so many pressures of keeping up with ourselves and the society around us, pressures from outside and inside of us, that we don’t have enough time and energy to help ourselves, let alone other people. 

That’s where travel comes in. Being abroad, far from our issues and pressures and responsibilities, away from our everyday routine and struggle to make it gives us that chance to step outside of ourselves, to go beyond ourselves into a space where we can gain a new perspective on life and the world around us. It gives us a chance to take stock, to refresh, to re-evaluate things, to see what is real and important, meaningful and fulfilling in life. It gives us a chance to look up from life and take a deep breath, see those around us, see what they need, see how being there for them enhances the lives of all involved. 

It’s with this new perspective that people can return from their trip, back into the grind, but now a little more aware, inspired and empowered to do things in their own community that can make a big difference in the lives of those around them.