The less we are convinced of our exceptionalism, the greater ability we have to understand and contribute to our environment, the less blindly driven we are by our own needs, the more clearly we can appreciate the needs of those around us, the more we can appreciate the larger ecosystem of which we are a part.
Peace is when we realize that victory and defeat are almost identical spots on one long spectrum.
Peace is what allows us to take joy in the success of others and to let them take joy in our own.
Peace is what motivates a person to be good, to treat every other living thing well, because they understand that it is a way to treat themselves well.
We are one big collective organism engaged in one endless project together. We are one.
We are the same.
Still, too often we forget it, and we forget ourselves in the process.
- Ryan Holiday, Stillness is the Key
I stopped traveling because I couldn't spend a day without Max. So we never flew except spending occasional days in the wilderness alone with Max and serenity - which lead having our own Walden in the wilderness which Max would have adored!
My despise for travel has now, turned into hatred. In the past 2 decades "travel" has become a fad. It has risen to moronic levels that people work 80 hours a weeks to save dollars to spend few mind numbing days taking selfies for the sole reason of signaling. They are not screwing themselves but screwing the entire ecology and cause animal suffering (think bullfighting in Spain).
A new documentary, aptly titled The Last Tourist came a decade too late but still never too late.
This film is a wake-up call.
We need to dramatically rethink the way we travel.
In 1950, there were 25 million international tourist arrivals. In 2020, that number was expected to be 1.6 billion. That means more people traveling than at any other point in history.
Travel is in an unfortunate state – and that’s even before COVID-19 brought it to a temporary standstill. Overtourism magnified the increasing impact on the environment, wildlife, and vulnerable populations around the world. Unintentionally, tourists have been destroying the very things they have come to see. Tourism reached a tipping point.
Yet, travel is also an opportunity. It can be leveraged as a force for good – to promote conservation, alleviate poverty, and positively transform the lives of people living in host communities, while fostering cultural connection and understanding between people from all walks of life. Tourism can spread peace and be the greatest form of wealth distribution the world has ever seen. This forced pause has presented us with the opportunity to reshape the travel industry as we know it.
This poignant film explores our ability to harness tourism’s power in a way that creates shared value for all – travellers and host communities alike – while preserving the places and natural resources we treasure most.
Change starts with us.
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