Aziz lets us know, straight away, that travel doesn't necessarily have to involve airports, train stations or bus depots. "I'm a firm believer that if I don't explore or travel within my own community, then I'm not going to do it even if I travel 5,000 miles away."
His definition of travel is very straightforward. "Travel can be anything that helps us explore people, cultures and environments. Travel is about exploration. At times, this exploration can be challenging. But the most crucial travel we can experience is usually just outside our front door."
Before going much further into the specifics of responsible travel, Aziz reminds us that, "We don't live on islands isolated from the rest of the world's political problems, climate policies, economic situations, and threats. The issues facing human society do not recognize the artificial boundaries and borders we've created. We are all connected."
Even before making this point, Aziz quotes Stephen Hawking's response to what he thought was the biggest threat to humanity: "The human failing I would most like to correct is aggression."
Aziz follows up by writing, "If we accept Hawking's claim that human aggression is a major threat to human existence, then I don't know a better medium than travel to promote understanding and co-existence."
CROSSING BOUNDARIES is full of tips and helpful nuggets of wisdom. For instance: "When we visit a new place, we should look into what the local community wants us to learn about their neighborhoods, lives and traditions. Residents in the Brazilian favelas do not want us to learn only about their suffering; they also want their stories of struggle and innovation to be heard. When we actually listen to the local people, that's when we begin to see them as human beings and break the stereotypes that simplify their complex lives into a caricature of poverty."
Here's another gem to help avoid stressing out while traveling. "In most cases, how we react to the problem is more important than the problem itself... It's important for us to recognize what irritates us and focus on harnessing our reaction before responding to others. It is also important to remember that airline and airport staff are human too, and just like us, sometimes they make mistakes and have bad days."
Aziz's personal story (told in STRANGERS, NEIGHBORS, FRIENDS) of his growth from being a Palestinian radical to peace advocate, translates into life lessons applied to religion as well as travel "Overall, if we approach other religious communities with the same spirit of humility, respect, and learning that we extend to others, we'll discover both a world of diversity and surprising similarities But we have to be willing to suspend judgment and approach the existence of others with different beliefs as a learning opportunity, not as a threat."
The crossover between traveling and interpersonal relationships is powerful and potentially life-changing.
When approaching a culture that differs from our own, Aziz suggests that "Hearing stories that conflict with our own historical narratives should not be seen as a threat to our story and identity. Perhaps one of the worst things to come from the Enlightenment was the idea that conflicting stories can't exist side by side. But in many cultures around the world (and in many biblical narratives, including the four Gospels), different narratives are welcomed. They give us different perspectives."
Aziz writes about countries each having their own historical narrative, which while based on historical events, "are remembered or forgotten based on how they relate to current events and concepts of self... As a result, when learning about a country's history for the first time, it is important to consider how the present intersects with the past. How does an archeological site, museum display or historical event fit into the group's narrative of who they are? Who curates and promotes this narrative (the government, a majority ethnic group)? What historical events or groups are silenced in (or left out of) the narrative or museum display, because their inclusion might challenge the moral of the story?"
At the end of the day, whether we actually travel across countries or across town, Aziz encourages us: "... [I]t's important to remember: be gracious. You and I have been that rude person before (and sometime in the future... we will probably slip up and be that rude person again)... Stop. Breathe. Reflect. And act in ways that will make the world a more kind and humane place."
To watch a National Geographic talk given by Aziz Abu Sarah click here.
And here is the link to Aziz's book, Crossing Boundaries: A Traveler's Guide to World Peace.
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