Fear is rife. Isolation is in
We Live In A More Connected and Yet More Divided World, Than Ever Before
With affordable global air travel, the internet and telecommunications, we are more connected than ever in the history of the world. Yet it seems that as residents of this planet, that we are also far more divided than ever before.
A Dangerous World. Really?
Too often, we convince ourselves that all of the outside world is a dangerous place to explore!
The causes are broad and include, increasingly nationalist based politics in many countries, the continually ‘breaking news’ drama on TV and the internet, which amplifies bad news and often implies that vast swathes of countries and places are simply too dangerous to visit.
The way news is read now, often on social media, means that more and more often we only read what interests us or what we suspect is true and we are not exposed to the wider picture and thus are susceptible to sensational news stories.
Keeping Informed
We have to make a positive effort to make sure we are broadly informed. That at least helps us recognize fake, false or exaggerated news.
Travel is seldom really dangerous, but it is that fear of the unknown, getting lost, not understanding signs and people, that sometimes frighten us.
From my experience the vast majority of people the world over are fine and seldom do you meet real hostility. A smile or acknowledgement goes a long way in breaking those cultural divides.
