Because of Him: Discourse on Travel

An old man was sitting on a park bench when a younger man, carrying a suitcase, sat down beside him.

"I love to travel. What about you?"

The old man sat there silently for a moment. He rubbed his chin as if deep in thought, then sat up straighter and brushed off his jacket.

"So, young man, you love to travel? What is so unique about loving to travel? Everyone loves to travel; they always have and always will. There are millions of people, who have traveled at some time, all going somewhere, in some way.”

The old man continued, not waiting for a response.

“Throughout the course of history, man has loved to travel in time and space. But, it is not just a question of time and space. The majority of people who travel from one place to another, alone or with others, find travelling exciting, even exhilarating. To travel anywhere, presents a new challenge and offers the potential traveler, delight.”

He paused for a moment and took a deep breath.

“Why do we love to travel? No one really knows. Is it curiosity that leads us onward and upward, in time and space? Perhaps it is more than a desire to see new faces and places. Maybe traveling is something that's simply fun; everyone loves fun. Maybe we've been bitten by the travel bug?”

The younger man was very attentive. 

“Nowadays, medicalization of everything is the current trend. Perhaps there's a pill we can take to cure this or that disease. Maybe someone will invent a cure for whatever ails us and makes us need, or want to travel. Does it have to do with the travel gene inherent within us? Maybe we should all get our DNA tested. If we have acquired that gene, it might be linked to the happy gene, as travelling makes people happy.”

The old man was silent for a moment.

“So you love to travel, son. That's a good thing. Enjoy it while you can, even if it means travelling in your mind's eye, now and then, like I do."

With that, the old man got up and left.

"Was I lectured by an old, retired philosopher?” the young man wondered. "Sure seemed that way. Because of him, I will never think about travel in the same way again. Perhaps he is right!"