Today was a travel day with a lot of waiting time, so I got to finish Sightseeing by Rattawut Lapcharoensap. It’s a small book comprised of 7 short stories that immerse you into each narrator’s arduous circumstances, all taking place in Thailand. Although somewhat depressing, the book proves very thought-provoking.

When we travel, do we really experience the true essence of the places we visit? A lot of the time...no. Especially when there’s a large economic gap between visitors and locals. By chance I was born to a middle class family in the United States, and thus I have this privileged ability to see other countries. So many Thais do not have such luxury. Sightseeing helps me understand how they view “farangs,” how odd we most be in so many ways, from their perspective.

But are our cultures that different? We’re so quick to observe and detail all our differences, and there are many. It’s easy. It’s convenient for our egos and our worldview to automatically put people in boxes, to dismiss them to the “other.” We forget that we all eat and sleep and shit and play and make love. Every culture dances and sings, if only to different music. Every person hopes for some sense of community and solidarity. We all want to be happy. We all want our tribes to be happy, and safe and successful. We laugh and cry in one language, for the same reasons.

It seems the real divisions stem from economics. I’ve found it much easier to assimilate into the cultures of South America and Europe, and a lot harder to fathom the inescapability of the poverty in Africa and Asia. Perhaps if we can solve our most pressing economic issues, we can make progress on our collective humanity.

All these thoughts from a few short stories—such is the transformation of reading. Putting on others’ shoes, even through literature, helps us see more. Same old eyes, different perception. But no matter how many enriching perspectives we entertain, it remains clear to me: we are one.