Travel

Right now as you read this there are people in airplanes in the skies all over the world, feeling a mixture of emotions: tired and cramped and ready to get off the plane, but also giddy and excited and really looking forward to getting where they're going.

That's the thing about travel. There's often a sense of anticipation, either of returning home after being away or landing somewhere different than the usual.

And there are people right at this very moment, who are feeling those feelings while they are several thousand feet above Earth.

For the most part, these are the privileged of the planet: those that can board a plane and get to where they're going relatively quickly and safely.

As I wrote about yesterday, though, we also cannot forget all of those traveling by more modest means: one footstep at a time. I think of those going from Venezuela to Colombia. I think of those going from Nicaragua to Costa Rica. I think of those going from Syria to parts north. I think of those going from Eritrea to parts west. And of course, I think of those going from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Mexico to parts north.

Like water flowing naturally downhill, humans have a history of moving in the direction of food and safety. It is our innate instinct to protect ourselves and our offspring, to move in the direction of life, and away from the forces, natural and man-made, that reject it.