By: Wil Worrall, Contributor
Traveling abroad can be one of the greatest adventures of your life. Experiencing a new location, different cultures and various flora and fauna can help one truly understand how special this planet and this life are. Six months away from somewhere you’ve been for your entire life can be stressful and a bit scary, however, in that situation, you have a choice to stay down, or find your true self and learn from new experiences and people.
When I was studying abroad in Australia, I met people from all over the world. The similarity I found almost everybody was their excitement to tell others about their homes and share experiences with one another. A conversation that still sticks with me was with a man, Lyndon Davis, of the Kabi Kabi: an Aboriginal Australian people. He was the first person to show me the true importance of Indigenous cultures and respect for the land. He shared his story with me and inspired me to look into Indigenous ways of life and how they are directly connected with conservation.
People have lived off the land for thousands of years, yet western society rarely acknowledges how successful those people have been. The medicinal uses of plants, the use of the whole animal and the connection between all biotic and abiotic factors are specialties we have lost over time. He opened my eyes and showed the importance of not completely leaving the western lifestyle I knew, but finding a balance of both.
By sharing stories and ways of life, we can help shift the planet back to its healthy self. To do this, Lyndon emphasized the extreme importance of respectfully discussing ideas with one another, even if the views are polar opposites. After my morning with Lyndon, this became a sentiment I held close. And after my time in Australia, I remind myself that life is a gift. Those we have with us, that have left us and what we have in front of us is a gift. To treasure the opportunities, experiences and people we encounter is vital for a happy, healthy life. I was able to do this while I was abroad and I ended up creating a family for life.
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