I watched this yesterday and it is a pretty good discussion about life and perspective. Unfortunately, David Foster Wallace, upon whose commencement speech at Kenyon college the video is based died about 3 years ago from suicide. According to what I can find he was depressed.
Anyway, back to the video. It resonates with me because I think why travel is so important for me is because I want to expose myself to so much more of the world. I think there is a big big world out there, and not just in terms of the natural wonders, but in terms of people as well. I am but one of billions, and in our daily lives its hard to see how one is not the centre of the universe, because for sure I am the centre of mine. Yet we all have our stories and its important to pause and reflect once in a while.
Two days ago I had dinner with my cousin and her friends. They work in a different industry and have a different background to me. In fact they speak almost a different language, more singlish/mandarin than the english I am used to. I’ve thought I have progressed as a conversationalist, but I found myself silent at gaps. Which is not a bad thing. I think the more I push myself, the more I can develop. There is always value in someone else’s story.
Big, Big World 