Monday, November 5, 2012

Trip The Light

A couple of years ago I came across this video, which documents a fellow named Matt as travels and dances with different people in various countries around the world. I fell in love with it and have watched at well over a dozen times.

Just today I found another video by the same guy which is even more amazing, if that's possible. It has the same idea as the first one but it's with new people, new countries and a new dance. I have probably already watched it a dozen times today alone. I highly recommend taking a few minutes to watch them both.

Finished? Okay, keep reading.

At first glace (or "view", in YouTube speak) I think everyone would agree that these videos are at the very least entertaining, enjoyable, funny and probably even a tad inspiring, but to me they are more than that. They represent a solution to much bigger problems.

Although the nations of the world are constantly becoming more and more globalized and connected, they're not necessarily becoming more tolerant of one another. At times it feels like the world is actually becoming less tolerant. Just think of all the wars, conflicts, attacks and countless other awful things going on with no end in sight. And why? In my opinion it really boils down to fear, which derives from ignorance. People around the world are often afraid of what they do not know or understand. We read or watch the news about other parts of the world and form opinions on these places and their people based on the information we gather, as we should. But we must also remember that hearing a negative story about someone or somewhere should not make us afraid of an entire population, race, religion or country. Traveling not only reminds you of that every single day but also promotes understanding and compassion through the experiences you have and the people you meet.

To me these videos show that from Saudi Arabia to Papua New Guinea, Australia to Rwanda, Colombia to North Korea... people are strikingly similar. They laugh. They smile. They like to dance. Of course there are "bad" people or people who come from a country with a "bad" government"; There always have been and probably always will be. The point is that wherever you go people are people and we don't always need to be so afraid. It's an easy sentence to write but sometimes you need to see to believe. If you do, watch these videos again. Or better yet, travel somewhere and see for yourself.

"Remember we’re lost together
Remember we’re the same
We hold the burning rhythm in our hearts
We hold the flame
We’re gonna trip the light
We’re gonna break the night
And we’ll see with new eyes
When we trip the light"

5 comments:

Unknown said...

I just LOVED this post Alex ..well said and well written ( as Hana said). It seriously made me think about people I met and, about why i once got the travelling bug and how grateful i am for having met such amazing people each time. And though it is something i knew all along and spoke about several times, I always need a reminder and i think we all do. Thank you mon Alex for the reminder ;)

mom said...

Really like this thoughtful response which was evoked by Matt the dancer. It was great to experience all the joy and positive energy resulting from a simple act of people wanting and willing to connect with one another. I am so glad that you have chosen to commit this time in your life to connecting with people and cultures outside of your own.

Wondering and Wandering said...

Sarah - Merci ma belle! I know it has been said many times but comme tu as dit, il faut s'en rappeler de temps en temps :) thank you for reading!

Mom - Thank you! I too am glad I am getting to spend some time connecting with different people and cultures. And I'm grateful you support me in doing so!

Sandra Cooper said...

Loved the videos of the dancer. It really illustrates that everyone in the world is really the same. Thank you for exposing me to the global village.

Wondering and Wandering said...

Glad you enjoyed the videos! I just love them. Thanks for reading Auntie Sandra!