Over the last few years I have developed a bit of an obsessive hobby with reading history. I've sought to understand the world and the circumstances that people have thrived and suffered under. Humanity is fascinating for both its greatness and disappointments. As we have ebbed and flowed throughout time much has been learned, forgotten, and relearned. It is my ambition to capture an understanding of our travel destinations history and convey it to a larger audience. A country and its people can be far better understood and appreciated with knowledge of its context.
To us, travelling is much more than the beauty of the physical destination or its food. Although we do value the unique experiences the world gives for these aspects I want to emphasize the value we place upon seeking to understand a culture for the part it conveys about the broader human experience.
I realize and fully appreciate the challenge of attempting to be any kind of authority when it comes to global affairs, past or present. The world and people are complicated. Circumstances and tales always need to be taken with a questioning mind. The interrelationship of aspects like climate, geography, religion, politics, outside influences, and ambitious leaders greatly underlies the "why" aspect of what I call the factual four "what, where, when, and who" of history.
It is my aim to step out from the factual four and into the why. Why is it that a particular country has come to be in its current state? Why were certain characters so influential in shaping the culture of a nation? The factual disciplines ranging from archeologist, geologist, to art conservators lay the foundation for historians, theologians, and philosophers to theorize about the why. They place objects, inscriptions, monuments, and temples into a section of the overall historical context where they can then be used to understand the everchanging circumstances of society.
"The library is the most humbling place on earth"
From what I have learned thus far. History is a very humbling undertaking. The library is the most humbling place on earth. It introduces us to a wave of past greatness that brings our ego back down to the ground. Learning about those that took giant leaps for humanity and contributed towards western society's current prosperity allowed me to realize that much of what we all enjoy was earned as a result of great sacrifice and risk. The past has laid the groundwork for the conditions of today and the more we understand and appreciate that fact the more we realize how much we are indebted to those that came before us.
"Ego is mistaking what is important to us with what is important to humanity"
I believe that we owe the world an honest attempt at understanding its past before we consider feeling inflated about our current position or where we think humanity ought to go. I believe that ego is mistaking what is important to us with what is important to humanity. The business world and Hollywood is pestered with those that fail to make this distinction. Those that are boastful of their own achievement or intellect have just not learned enough about humanity to be humbled by it. It is why the west's religious teachings emphasize the important of respecting our position beneath the ideal and fearing the consequences of moving in an alternative direction. One only needs to read Issacson's biography of Da Vinci to appreciate the human capacity they are undoubtedly not realizing. They only need to imagine themselves expressing their "truth" to Socrates to have their ideology entirely ripped apart by a master of questions.
However, I don't think its about stripping ourselves down to feelings of inadequacy or nihilism. History has helped me to appreciate the position we have already ascended and realize that my purpose here is to contribute in some way towards helping us reach closer to an ideal state of being. Each individual that aspires towards their ideal self consequently contributes to the improvement of humanity.
"History provides us with a profound sense of gratitude for our current condition"
Another lesson that I have realized with in my studies is the idea that history provides us with a profound sense of gratitude for our current condition. Regardless of our social status, gender, sexual orientation, or race you don't have to read very deep into history to realize that the conditions of our current world are better than those of all the years it followed. Advances in financial systems, education, technology, travel, medicine, and a reduction in global warfare has made our current environment greater than any other golden age that has come before it. That's not to say that our lives are perfect and that some advances don't come with negative consequences. However, I can't help but feel an incredible sense of gratitude for being born in this time and in this place.
Undoubtedly there is much is to learn as we continue to peel back the layers of history. However, I want to encourage those that are planning trips to look beyond the mere activities or photos and seek to understand the people. Nothing can be more fulfilling than understanding our place within this mystery we call life.
With this, it is our intention towards summarizing the histories of each city or country we visit and how travelling with this as a purpose can expand and enrich your experiences. We will eventually help to map out suggested itineraries and considerations that will help you not only understand what you can see but also why you should see it. It is content that I wish was available to me when I set out to explore the world on a sabbatical. Something I could take with me to transport back in time when the monuments breathed with ancient life. In our research we could find countless blogs and websites listing things to do and food to try but nothing that truly sought to teach us about the countries context and why those monuments are there in the first place. There wasn't anything that intersected travel and history into easily understandable content for someone that was going to be directly within it. I didn't want to have to carry long winded history books in my pack or spend time scouring Google to extract information from a variety of pages. I wanted to be able to quickly flip to something concise before I left the hostel or as I stood in front of it, and re-immerse myself back into my surroundings a little bit deeper. I wanted a guide for feeling through the destination with more than just my eyes, something that spoke to a deeper part of me.
I hope you will appreciate as much as I do the key circumstances and individuals that contributed towards bringing these destinations to their current state. I hope it will help you to feel the lives of the past mingling with those of the present and how that opens you up to an experience traditional guide books can't possibly provide you.
You will be able to find these posts within the blog beginning with the title "Walk-Through World History", and attached to the various country pages along with all of the activities, food, costs, short videos, and visa information. We invite you to learn with us city by city as we pursue a deeper understanding of the world together.