A Glimmer of Hope

‘Hope is being able to see that there is light, despite all of the darkness.’ – Desmond Tutu.

One of the things I was most worried about before I left the UK was being lonely or unable to make friends. I thought it might be hard to meet new people whilst travelling, and that those I did meet might be weird, strange or downright unfriendly. I might even meet someone crazy or scary or… The possibilities were endless, but not once did I consider the fact that I would most likely meet lots of people, make plenty of new friends and that actually, the majority of people I met would be just like me and, well, perfectly normal.

I think that a lot of my negative perceptions of people were based on all the bad things I see and hear in the news. It is the job of the media to bring news to the people of the world, and report on what has happened that day around the world. Unfortunately, the news is mostly sad, upsetting and downright depressing, because the things that humans do each day around the world are often shocking and horrifying. In the past week, the three dominating global news stories have been:
– the Sydney siege
– the horrific massacre of 148 innocent children and teachers at a school in Peshawar, Pakistan
– the hacking into Sony’s database (supposedly by North Korea)

All three news stories are awful, sad, shocking and bad to differing degrees. All three highlight the fact that there are individuals around the world (some more powerful than others) who invoke terror and rule through fear, despicably murdering innocents or controlling the freedom of speech.

The news focuses on this minority of the human race who are sadistic, brutal and terrifying, and it gets to you. You forget that this is just some of the people in a vastly populated world (7 billion people and counting, according to UN statistics). You begin to perceive the world as a huge, terrifying, scary place where everyone is going to be out to get you, muggers will be on every street corner, you’ll be murdered if you walk home in the dark… Maybe it’s better to stay at home.

Don’t stay at home. If you have any urge in you whatsoever to go out and explore some of the world, do it. Don’t let fear hold you back, because there’s no need to be fearful. Yes, there are countries that are statistically more dangerous than others, and I admit I’ve come to one of the safer countries in the world, but honestly, the best cure against the hate crimes and terrible things you see on the news is travel.

I have met some of the most wonderful, most generous and most kind-hearted people in the past two and a half months than I ever thought possible. I have been bowled over by the people I have met – countless numbers of people already, in such a short space of time, and everyone has contributed something, however great or small, to my trip so far. There will are those people who flitted briefly into my trip and then left again, without much of a trace. Then there are those who I have become friends with and who I will keep in touch with, long after we have gone our separate ways.

Meeting so many fantastic people has reinforced in my mind that the majority of people are not bad. They are not out to get you or to do you over or to mug you off. Most of them are exactly like you – kind, compassionate, friendly, law-abiding citizens who just want to hang out with you and have some fun. Some will go out of their way to help you, from buying you an ice cream or a beer when you’re down to offering to split a bond four ways instead of five so that you can move in with them. The kindness and good spirit of the people I’ve met so far in New Zealand has bowled me over, knocked me for six and made me realise that the world is not the awful place the media often portrays it to be.

So I would just like to thank everyone I have met so far on my trip, for all the kindnesses that have been shown to me and everyone’s acts of generosity. I hope I have returned them in kind or that I will have the opportunity to return them in the future, when we see each other again. It’s nice to be reminded that around the world, the majority of people deplore the despicable acts of terrorism we see, the horrific crimes that are committed and condemn those that rule by using fear and taking away people’s rights. Most people actually just want to help you if they can! Yes, there are a lot of troubles in the world, but it’s nice to be reminded that there is also a lot of good. There is still hope!