I just finished reading Lisa Napoli’s book, “Radio Shangri-La” about her visits to Bhutan. It is a great read whether you are a world traveler or prefer the armchair.
She made one comment that reflects what I am reminded of each time we travel outside the United States. “Being there (Bhutan) put the United States in a completely different perspective, the way staring into the vastness of a natural wonder like the Grand Canyon does. The United States may be the superpower, and the center of your universe, but it isn’t the center of everyone else’s. More reminders that the world does not revolve around one way of eating, thinking, being.”
Wherever we travel, I meet intelligent, hard working people. Their culture is different, their government is different, their standard of living is different. That difference does not make them right or wrong, just different. What we citizens of the United States need to do is respect that difference and leave people living in other countries alone to live their lives. It is not appropriate to impose our lifestyle or form of government on folks living in other parts of the world.
