I came across some scraps of started writing from when I was traveling around the world:

10.17.2019
In Nairobi marabou storks sit on the lampposts, you can see them as you drive by. Where I’m from, you might see a pigeon or potentially a seagull on such a perch. But this is Africa. Nairobi is a sprawling, congested metropolis, one of the biggest, most modern, and industrial cities on the continent… yet there are marabou storks everywhere.
02.08.2020
Climate change will have the biggest impact on our lives, of every single person on this planet. It‘a easy for me to become distracted from this issue here in Bali, with all the stunning scenery…except that some of it is ruined by trash. Much of this litter comes from Java, not the island itself. It’s a reminder that our choices have an impact on our world, sometimes much further away than we realize.
11.26.2019
It’s been 14 days since my Hong Kong post, and the violence persists. Political unrest exists on another previously visited continent as well—former Bolivian president Evo Morales resigned from office. He claims a coup, while the other side claims corruption, sedition, and treason. It was only April that I was in Bolivia. The people in La Paz were definitely outspoken in their dislike for their president, but it didn’t feel anywhere close to a removal from office. It’s hard for people to understand foreign government systems, so it’s difficult to know what to believe. How can we help? As global citizens we can be aware.
10.05.2019
How do we alleviate the poverty in Africa? How can we prevent littering in Kenya? Driving down the road from Masai Mara to Nairobi, you see trash everywhere. How can we change that?

I share these snippets to show how much traveling can literally broaden one’s horizons. Was I aware of trash in Kenya or Bali before embarking on my journey? Certainly not. Was I up on South American or Asian politics? Negative. But traveling opens your mind to the true nature of the rest of the planet, outside wherever you’re from. It promotes a global consciousness.

As we fight through this pandemic together, let’s remember how diverse our species can be, how specific our circumstances can be. In recognizing our differences, we can appreciate that we really are more similar than we are different. Just look at right now—every country around the world is fighting the coronavirus. Almost all of humanity is consumed by this pandemic. It has become almost every community’s top priority.

We will get through this, like we have other catastrophes in the past. And perhaps, just perhaps, it will unite us as one.