Why is it said that traveling makes people openminded?
One of the reasons is that you meet others, open yourself up to someone different, and stop judging. Because the difference is not bad, or better. It’s just different.
Another reason (out of many) is that you get a “comparison” that leads to self-consciousness. This is one of the keys to happiness.
Let’s think about two examples of people born in two different places on Earth:
– Once I met a boy from Lombok island, who told me that he would like to leave this place and live in Europe. Then his life would be better. I’ll just add that this island is considered a tropical paradise, although the salaries in that area are very low.
– Now let’s consider a person born in a European country, in a wealthy family who lives in comfort.
Are these people necessarily happy?
We often say that “if something”, my life would look better; if someone helped me, I would be better now; if I lived elsewhere, it would be better; if I had that, I’d be happy; e.t.c.
But is this true or do we just have no comparison?
It would seem that a person living on a paradise island, with his own garden, etc., should be happy. Same with the second person from the example. But for them it is the norm, and what is fascinating with the norm, something we have always known?
That is why it is a great treasure to discover and feel what is good in our lives, in how many ways we are lucky. Thanks to the comparison, which is an easy way to realise it.
If we are not born in a perfect place or family, there is many things we can learn, e.g. tame our ego, stop wasting our lives criticizing others etc.
Maybe a boy from the island of Lombok, if he would see Europe, which is beautiful but also can be “grey”, busy and overwhelming, would change his mind. Maybe he would realise that living on a green island with organic food, turquoise water and warm weather is a better choice for him.
But if he has no comparison, he may not notice it. And it is a shame to live without feeling happy.
Once, in a Jordanian city, I talked to several men. They asked me about living in Europe. The conversation looked something like this:
– How big is your house?
– I live in an apartment.
– Oh, how many meters is it? 200? 300?
– No, 60 meters.
– What? How can you live like this? I have a 400-meter house, a few hectares of land, and I’m not a rich man. So how big is your garden?
– I do not have one.
And then they called their friends to tell them about the shocking information they’ve heard. Because “European countries are rich and the standard of life is so good” …
As the saying goes, the grass is greener on the other side, and not all that glitters is gold…
Malvina Dunder 
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