Questão 3354

(UFMG 2003) Traveling

        To some extent, traveling entails fantasizing.
      We dream of finding someone interesting away
      from vigilant neighbors, from family control, from
      our own self-criticism. There is nothing necessarily
5    wrong with that fantasy nor with its realization.
      Now traveling is more rewarding, much more
      complex than that.
      It means coming out of hiding, getting out of
      the rut, looking around ourselves, seeing the world,
10  opening our minds to new dimensions of human existence. At a certain moment
      in our life, that may include an opening to new relationships, seen as rewarding
      experiences. On the other hand, traveling may develop our ability to stay
      alone, to face up to our fears, to meet the unknown head on, without turning
      to others for safety. It means being able to survive without old habits. While
15  traveling for pleasure, a workaholic may feel the same withdrawal symptoms
      that plague those who cease to take addictive drugs. Traveling tests and helps
      develop our independence. It makes us feel that the ground under our feet is
      within ourselves, not outside.
      Getting in touch with another culture also elicits fantasies involving
20   “the stranger”. Foreigners evoke many different emotions. One of them is
      the magic that surrounds someone from a distant, mysterious world. Only
      everyday-life can disentangle reality from magic. Yet, magic and enchantment
      do have a place in life.
      In a sense, traveling distinguishes us from reptiles. Alligators, for instance,
25  are intent exclusively on survival; they never leave their territory, they never
      relinquish safety and protection. Merely surviving is not enough for us humans.
      We want to live, and that sometimes entails going out to distant places in
      search of adventure. Traveling, like any other human experience, may provide
      an opportunity to prepare even for death. If we succeed in coming out of
30  hiding and living in different environments, perhaps we will be less disturbed
      when our body no longer is part of our luggage and only our essence departs
      for the great adventure. Traveling is being confident about the fact that our
      life can be lived wherever we are.

Adapted from “Traveling, sex, and fantasies” by Maria de Melo Azevedo,
Ícaro, n.189, May 2000. p.20.