Life is a journey, love is the answer

Every time I get sent out into the field on assignment by the NGO I intern with, it's always a mix of anxiety and excitement, topped with a naive optimism that allows me to take in the whole experience with an open mind. It was when they sent me to interview and photograph women in northern Sri Lanka who had been displaced by the civil war that taught me that an open heart is what we need.

Compassion is underrated, for much of the world is focused on simply trying to survive, which makes many see travel as an expensive luxury they can't afford. But to perceive is to begin shaping reality. Sri Lanka is a land of serendipity, for even with the memories of war, life is beautiful, moment to moment, and deprived or privileged, life is life.

I learned this when we arrived at a center where women were weaving baskets, discovering a touching solidarity between them despite their circumstances. Some had one leg or none, and the remains of a house next door was a doorway with the its roof walls destroyed during the fighting.

Under the shade of a building, I interviewed one woman who had lost her husband and was left to care for their son alone. She broke down in tears, admitting she believed her love would return one day, and it hurt to see she was doing her best to smile despite so much loss from the war. It was through the translator that she revealed she had that same love for life I had: a clear blue sky, a gentle breeze, and a smile from a stranger are all just some of the things that get her to be grateful to still be alive. She focuses on what is beautiful, and every day, she chooses to see that instead of loss and destruction. And now, I realized she was telling me that by simply listening to her and showing I cared, we had a connection transcending language, which made life seem a lot less lonely and a lot more fulfilling, knowing someone genuinely cares.

The greatest power we have to make the world better is compassion. The more I travel, the more I feel connected to the world, and it's taking a moment to see something new and talk to a stranger that gives us more compassion, for we think of something besides our privilege and our comfort zone. You don't need money, a big job title, or Master's degree to travel, and you certainly don't need any of that to appreciate life and make a difference. Just be you and have an open heart, and the rest will follow. As I have learned, travel helps me realize who I am, and gives me more to love about the world.