The benefits of experiencing another culture are immense

We just got back from Japan. We spent part of an inheritance on a trip of a lifetime and took our son, who has been obsessed with Japanese history since he could talk.

Traveling to a foreign country, especially one where you don’t speak the language is difficult. It’s challenging getting around and securing the basics.

The benefits of getting outside your comfort zone and experiencing another culture and people is immense. It builds confidence and empathy and strengthens our sense of self while at the same time helping us to feel connected to others. In short, it helps give us a global perspective that is at once humbling and empowering.

What we learn is: despite the differences, people are people. And to quote a band from my youth, Depeche Mode, “people are people, so why should it be, you and I should get along so awfully.” I love this lyric, both for the message and because it reminds me of some students I met in China decades ago who wanted to practice English and asked me to share song lyrics with them. They LOVED this and it helped us bond.

Learning about people who are different from us helps eliminate some of the fears we might have. People travel it to confront their fears, challenge themselves, meet new people and see this amazing world we live in and the amazing people we share the planet with.

One of the things I love about living in the modern world, aside from the obvious benefits of modern medicine, is that it makes meeting people and interacting with them easier. We took online Japanese lessons before going. We watched Japanese TV shows about the places we were going, and we got familiar with the current sumo stars so we would know who we were watching when we went to the sumo tournament in Nagoya. We also had our smart phones, which allowed us to talk to people across the language barrier. I could speak in English and my phone translated it into Japanese immediately. Language barriers don’t exist anymore!

Traveling the world is still a luxury. It costs money and it takes time. Most Americans can’t afford to do it. I consider myself lucky to have travelled as much as I have. But we don’t have to travel to get a global perspective anymore. We have the internet and access to music and art and movies and stories and people from across the globe. I am part of a Bollywood movie club. I have friends that are obsessed with Japanese pop music. My friends include people from all around the world. And even if they don’t speak English, we can still communicate using online translation tools.

We no longer need to feel isolated in a diverse world. If you can’t get out and explore it in person, explore it online. Your world will be richer as a result.

This story was originally published July 21, 2017 at 4:48 PM with the headline "The benefits of experiencing another culture are immense."