“Will you travel too long and forget the way home?” When I asked this question, I felt a little uneasy. I knew it was unfair to ask, akin to asking a writer if they write too much, a painter if they paint too long, or a dancer if they dance excessively. Such inquiries make no sense because these activities are integral to their lives, which they will undoubtedly continue until the end of their days.
Yet, I still asked. For me, traveling often carries a sense of “escaping.” Escaping from daily life, reality, and oneself. Although avoiding may not necessarily spare one from pain, and facing may not always be the hardest, most of the time, we choose to flee because something makes us feel constrained and sad. Of course, these are only temporary feelings.
Over time, we will eventually realize that nothing truly binds us, and what often makes us sad are our own thoughts. However, understanding these truths often requires time and experience. Before that, we always want to escape something.
So, when a friend told me he was leaving California to travel for a year, although I envied him, I couldn’t help but ask that question: “Will you travel too long and forget the way home?”
I asked this because I knew that for a traveler, home is often just a place to depart, a resting spot, and a destination that must eventually be returned to. But for them, home is never the endpoint. They are always eager to leave because there are too many landscapes waiting for them to see and too many people and experiences waiting for them to encounter. Their lives are destined to be on the road.
Such a life makes me envy but also raises doubts. It seems to lack something, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. Perhaps it lacks ties! For a traveler, without ties, they can go wherever they want, whenever they want. Such freedom is, of course, enviable. But such freedom also feels empty. Because if a person has no ties, no people or things that make them feel important, then their life is akin to a desert.
I understand these truths, but understanding them doesn’t mean I can do them. I am still someone who desires ties, fears loneliness, and wants someone by their side. Such a me cannot become a true traveler. But such a me also feels happy. Because I know that in this world, there are always people and things that make me feel important, attached, and dependent. Such a me, although unable to possess true freedom, possesses true happiness.
So, when I asked that question again, I already had the answer. I knew that my friend wouldn’t forget the way home due to traveling too long. Because for him, home is never an endpoint but a starting point. He chooses to leave to return better. He chooses to see the vastness of the world to better cherish everything around him. He chooses to experience different lives to enrich and color his own.
Such a him makes me envy and admire. Because he possesses the freedom I desire but also the happiness I possess. He can see the vastness of the world and cherish everything around him. He can experience different lives and maintain inner peace and firmness. Such a him is undoubtedly a true traveler, a person with a complete life.
Of course, such a him is not someone everyone can become. Because not everyone is willing to leave their comfort zone to face the unknown world and challenges. Not everyone has enough courage and determination to pursue what their heart truly desires. Not everyone can endure loneliness and solitude to enjoy the joy and freedom of traveling alone.
Of course, such a life does not mean we must travel. Because traveling is just one way of life, not its entirety. We can choose other ways to experience life and feel the beauty of this world. For example, we can choose to read books, learn new knowledge and skills; we can choose to work, realize our value and dreams; we can choose to make friends, meet different people, and broaden our horizons and minds.
These ways, although not as stimulating and exciting as traveling, can also make our lives richer and more meaningful. Because they all allow us to encounter new things, enabling us to grow and progress continuously. They all allow us to feel the vitality and beauty of life, filling us with hope and longing for this world.
So, when we ask that question again, perhaps we should consider it from a different angle. We should not ask if we will travel too long but if we will make our lives too monotonous and boring. We should not worry about forgetting the way home but about losing our direction in the process and forgetting what we truly want.
When we think this way, perhaps we will realize that life is not so complicated. We only need to bravely pursue what our heart truly desires, experience different lives, and see the vastness of the world. At the same time, we also need to cherish everything around us, maintain inner peace and firmness, and make our lives richer and more colorful. Such a life is what we should truly pursue and possess.
