DESCARTES' DISCOURSE ON TRAVEL

In reading Descartes Discourse on the Method, I was reminded of the ways in which this prolonged excursion of self-exile and roaming has been of value to me. Especially at a time such as now, when I am essentially unemployed, panic is ensuing across the globe, and I continue to wonder if the rise in tourism as a byproduct of globalization is not itself a pandemic. Of travel, Descartes writes the following:

It is useful to know something of the manners of different nations, that we may be enabled to form a more correct judgment regarding our own, and be prevented from thinking that everything contrary to our customs is ridiculous and irrational, a conclusion usually come to by those whose experience has been limited to their own country. On the other hand, when too much time is occupied in traveling, we become strangers to our native country; and the over curious in the customs of the past are generally ignorant of those of the present.

While I have not been traveling for 9 years, which is allegedly the period of time which Descartes took to explore lands other than his own, and I have not yet returned to America, I do feel that watching the COVID-19 panic unfold from afar is making me feel something akin to a stranger. Here in Vietnam, there are plenty of rolls of toilet paper, perishable and non-perishable food items alike, hand sanitizer, and cleaning products available for purchase. Seeing photos of empty grocery stores in the US, of pharmacies with no Tylenol or Lysol are events with which I have no experience. The generalized American experience of this pandemic is not something I am experiencing. If anything, this experience has further solidified the degree to which the US remains “ridiculous and irrational” to me personally. More on that at another time. My experience is now anything but limited to my own country, and the conclusion I have reached is I am okay feeling displaced at this moment. There are many people currently displaced not at all by choice, and likely that number will continue to rise as the effects of global warming make increasingly more areas of the globe uninhabitable.

I also see the way in which some people choose displacement, but observe their new location with a blind eye. Take for example Bali. An incredible hot spot for Europeans, Americans, Australians, and more to visit and live. But, the enchantment with all that is good about Bali is seemingly the only observation that can be mustered. There appears to be little observation of the drought plaguing the island, of the traditional way of life that is being forced to accommodate first-world travelers. While being displaced, people who ignore the reality of the location in which they are displaced, are merely creating limited, safe experiences for themselves. An example of this from last summer is relevant - we spent three months living in Morocco, and yes there was a widely publicized event in which a female journalist, often writing in opposition to the monarchy, was arrested on suspicion of having had an abortion (she was later pardoned and released). Not something to feel jovial about, also not something to ignore. But, neither is the water crisis in Flint. Or the state laws being mercilessly pursued against female reproductive rights in the US. My point is, things everywhere are neither rational or irrational. Everywhere you will find irony. The most important thing is to, as Descartes would likely support, question everything and work to get to the truth of what is around you. There is no paradise to dwell, no nation of perfection. There is senselessness ever-present in the world. Forming a more correct judgment requires active truth-seeking and unironic questioning of the ironies that you observe. Of course, what is a correct judgment to you may not be a correct judgment to someone else.

Descartes continues in Discourse on the Method:

I came to the conclusion that I might with freedom set about ridding myself of what remained of my opinions. And, inasmuch as I hoped to be better able successfully to accomplish this work by holding intercourse with mankind, than by remaining longer shut up in the retirement where these thoughts had occurred to me, I betook me again to traveling before the winter was well ended. And, during the nine subsequent years, I did nothing but roam from one place to another, desirous of being a spectator rather than an actor in the plays exhibited on the theater of the world; and, as I made it my business in each matter to reflect particularly upon what might fairly be doubted and prove a source of error, I gradually rooted out from my mind all the errors which had hitherto crept into it.

To be certain, I still have many opinions. But, my worldview has been broadened not only from having observed so many things new to me but also being in a new position as an observer. To say I dwelled in unison with the localities would be a lie. For one, the historicity of my life negates that premise and secondly spending time living amongst others does not make you a part of “the other.” I was in fact, “the other” to people of these various localities - we were to one another “the other.” At first, my lack of participation let’s call it, and the general method of observance seemed possibly lazy. Should I not interact in a more heightened manner? Should I not be asking questions constantly and learning? Should I not be capturing everything on video or with a photograph? I did take photos, but rarely if ever of people. More of cityscapes or landscapes. Or food that I enjoyed. Taking pictures of people and normal daily happenings seemed invasive. When I see tourists snapping a million pictures, basking in the “novelty” that is being in say a Southeast Asian, Sicilian, or Moroccan market, it makes me uneasy. A few pictures of things that really stand out to you, or of things you ask permission to capture seems reasonable. To me, the experience of being in such a market was that of me, as a guest, an observer - and not a worldly one at that (my command of other languages is an abomination). To see people making a spectacle of normal life in a place that is new to them, a place in which they are a visitor makes me uncomfortable. For a variety of reasons, but primarily because it reinforces the dynamic of the privileged being spectator to '“the other” (see also James Agee). I realize I am part of this still, most people I have interacted with resort to speaking English with me or finding someone who can speak English or use Google translate. Still acting as is everything is so overwhelmingly “quaint” or “different” or “exotic” and further comparing it to what it is not is problematic. For example in Luang Prabang, Laos, hearing tourists talk of how the temples and food and monks reminded them of Chiang Mai gets old after a while. Lao food is Lao food. It may share similar ingredients and even flavors in some cases, but it is unique to Laos in its own right. I find that most often people make comparisons to other things in situations where there is not much to actually compare it to. I believe Luang Prabang is incredible. Not exotic - as again the implication is subjecting the culture to the tourist gaze. And yet, even reading articles about it, its “otherness” is constantly being compared to “other otherness” by way of reference. In such, it subjugated beneath the culture of the observer, and even further beneath the more familiar “otherness,” (Chiang Mai in the aforementioned example of reference).

References can be helpful in terms of determining truth, but the reference or observed similarities are not often facts. “Lao larb is just like in Thailand,” is not a fact. Whereas a person can acknowledge, “a similar dish exists in Thailand,” and contemplate their experiences with both, now having knowledge of similarities and differences. To “reflect particularly upon what might fairly be doubted and prove a source of error, I gradually rooted out from my mind all the errors which had hitherto crept into it,” was useful. I had never visited or lived before in Southeast Asia or anywhere in the Middle East North African region. I had only been on relatively short trips to Europe. So, my expectations were not so ingrained, but still, I found myself reflecting upon even the most minor observances, in part as a way to avoid making overarching generalizations about cultural norms or traditions. Many preconceived opinions I had were readjusted with the knowledge I gained. Talking to people about our trip and hearing their questions actually irked me; I felt myself getting very defensive against their critique. “How could they assume such a thing?,” I would think to myself. No matter the moral implications of their judgment, it continues to be important for me to remind myself that not everyone has the lens of female-American-having-observed-XYZ in the same way that I have. And not everyone who travels extensively or has traveled extensively has an identical observational methodology. Obviously the lens I look through is that of someone raised in the Northeastern US, but now I have additional knowledge and layers that have been added to my optical lens, as well as having strengthened my skillset of the experience of observing without initial judgment. True, I do have some judgements and opinions about cultural norms that I have observed, but I realize this in no way is true of the entire culture. On vacation you may make an observance and assume the whole country does something similar, and in assuming so you would be incorrect.

In conclusion, traveling is enlightening. It is one of the most educational tasks I have embarked on. There is still so much for me to think about and digest regarding the experience. But, in traveling I have learned it is important to understand the duality of “otherness” and to respect this duality. It is important to understand your place as an observer, but not a participant spectator. People living their lives in cities and towns are not a source of entertainment because they are “the other” with regard to your perspective. It is important to questions everything - your preconceived notions, the speed with which you make judgments, the news you hear reported, the judgments of others, your observations, your conclusions. I will in time have more to say of globalization and tourism, but for now, I find the similarities of method and reasoning in Descartes’ travels to be comforting - I do not doubt I made the right choice investing this time in observation of global communities and the welcoming people who live therein.