Just in TIME: Abby's adventures in the Middle East

some thoughts.

I was looking over what I've written so far here and realized that I really haven't talked at all about some of the questions and issues that have been raised for me throughout the trip so far. This entry is partly motivated by the wonderful evening last night that we spent talking with three young Americans who are here working in Cairo for a year through a program sponsored by the Presbyterian and Lutheran (ELCA) churches. We spent a lot of time discussing reasons for coming on a trip like this, especially to countries in the Middle East, and what is possible to gain from our experiences. I am the kind of person who is constantly questioning and analyzing everything in life, especially myself; I am always trying to discern value and meaning in every situation and to apply my own understanding of ethics and justice to everything I encounter. Most of the time, I really don't have concrete answers, which I've learned to accept. But anyway, I just thought I'd share some of what has been running through my mind, as a matter of interest or possibly as a point of discussion in the future. Some food for thought:

• What is the value of traveling at all? It's great to be able to see things I've only read about in person, but what is gained by actually being there physically? One obvious answer is that, in a sense, one can't really experience the full gravity of something they have only read about or seen pictures of. While I think this is definitely true some of the time, on the other hand, some of the sights that I have seen have been disappointing--for example, the site of Troy. So, maybe the value of traveling does not lie in simply what we see or do, but in what our attitude is towards the experience as a whole. Being a tourist is fun, but it is too shallow of a perspective. You can't go into a country looking to "get something out of it" because the reality is you will always be disappointed in some way; the only way to have a meaningful experience then is to be open and flexible and non-judgmental. Does that mean we have to take off our own cultural and moral lenses through which we've seen everything in life so far? Is that even possible?
• More later...I have so many thoughts running through my head that I can't begin to put them all down right now. But I guess that is a good thing. So, to be continued....

blessings,

Abby

posted by Abby @ 8:06 AM