About Travel
Stepping away from everyday life and work to go somewhere brings a certain pleasure. The farther the destination, the greater the joy. Perhaps it’s because we rarely visit these places, and can’t do so frequently, that we can forget our daily routines and anticipate new discoveries.
A short trip to a nearby place is an outing, but when the destination is relatively far or the duration is long, it becomes a journey.
Travel is both unpredictable and predictable.
Travel is the experience of stepping away from daily routines and encountering the unknown. On the other hand, travel also includes many known factors. If there are too many unknowns, the journey becomes an adventure.
Adventures are accompanied by danger, so they may seem difficult to undertake. However, travel is a complex mix of the known and unknown.
Adventures may involve disregarding certain risks, or taking risks to gain something that can only be obtained by taking them. They require boldness and risk tolerance, but they are simple in terms of meticulous planning and exploration of the purpose.
On the other hand, travel always comes with the promise of returning to the daily routine. Moreover, without any clear, major goals, travel is the act of finding something to entertain oneself while on the journey.
For this reason, it is necessary to meet complex and high-level requirements, such as meticulous planning to return to daily life, and planning to create as much enjoyment as possible even without a specific goal. This is a complex intellectual activity that requires a highly human and advanced intelligence.
And because it’s the act of finding something that entertains oneself, travel is nothing but getting to know oneself.
In addition, we also anticipate encountering the unknown at our travel destination. It’s an act of learning about not only ourselves, but also the world.
Rather, getting to know the world might be the same as getting to know ourselves, and vice versa. Knowing the world and knowing oneself is truly the essence of life.
The innate nature of us being able to enjoy travel and the state of society where various travels can be undertaken may be a wonderful gift to enrich our lives.
Travel and Life
The word travel is used not only for the act of actually going far away.
Starting something new, reading philosophical or life-related books are sometimes referred to as journeys of self-discovery.
Some people might start a hobby, or participate in volunteer work. Some may change their environment by changing jobs or moving. If you enjoy thinking, you might read a book or introspect to gain insight.
This too is an act that promises to return to the daily routine, but when you come back, you can expect to know a little more about yourself. Also, touching new knowledge or a new world at that time is just like travel.
Travel and Business
In the business scene, the word “journey map,” which is related to travel, is used. Journey means travel.
When developing a system used in business, we start by performing requirement analysis to clarify the requirements and specifications required by the system. One of the methods used is a journey map.
A journey map is a method where users who use the system and developers involved in the development of the system write out in documents or pictures how the system will be used when it is actually completed, and identify the functions required by the system while visualizing it.
Imagine the world where the system yet to be developed exists, and visualize ourselves working in that imagination. Then, you can also think about things like what happens when the system has trouble or when the infrastructure supporting the system becomes unusable. By considering these things, you can find all the necessary functions without omission.
This imagination also mixes the known and unknown. And for users, it’s also an act of knowing what their operations are asking of the system.
Therefore, it has the same nature as travel, and the word “journey map” fits perfectly.
Adventurers and Travelers
In the business world, companies that start high-risk new businesses are called venture companies. I think the word comes from venture or adventure.
If you want to succeed and grab a lot of wealth and fame, these companies are ideal. If you want stability, you might want to avoid them.
Today’s world is sometimes said to be uncertain. The business world in particular is undergoing drastic changes, and the pace of change itself is accelerating.
Therefore, I’ve heard some people say that if you want stability, you might be better off choosing a venture company.
But, there are people in the world who like adventure and accept danger to get something big, and people who don’t. The former can be called adventurers, the latter travelers.
An ideal society is one where you can choose your work and life according to your personality. A society that cannot have adventures is stifling, but a society that forces everyone to adventure is also something wrong.
Not only business, but also society as a whole and our lives seem to be accelerating changes. The flow may be unstoppable, but if you give up and get washed away, it seems to become a tough era for travelers.
The Rights of “Travelers”
Unfortunately, today’s society does not have a mechanism to protect the rights of “travelers” who likes to avoid high-risk in their life.
As society develops, it may increasingly demand adventurous individuals. In that case, if this right is not recognized, life for travelers will become difficult.
Of course, if we are always afraid of change, we will be left behind in progress, and a society where disparities and positions are rigidified is not desirable. But, that doesn’t mean that all people should be put in a drastic situation where they can’t see tomorrow. That’s definitely not a rich society.
Besides, “travelers” are not just people who stay put without change. They are people who deepen their understanding of themselves and the world, and are conscious of growth and progress in a different form from risk-bearing adventures. I believe that respecting this position will surely be a trigger to think about a new way of society.
Speaking out in the world involves some risk, so it seems to be a privilege of those who can go on adventures. There is a term called silent majority, but behind the loud voices of adventurers, there should be the presence of travelers. Gathering these voices, I believe we can aim for a society where we can travel our life with peace of mind.
