Buckminster Fuller, the genius who invented the geodesic dome and coined the term “Spaceship Earth,” traveled so much that he wore three watches. He wore one on each wrist and carried a vest pocket watch. One told the time where he was currently. Another told the time at his next destination. And the third told the time at his home base in Carbondale, Illinois.
Bucky traveled almost constantly, lecturing wherever he was invited around the world. He was a great believer in the value of travel. He believed we are born to travel by nature, by our evolution. We are adapted to it as a species, built for it. And human history would sure vouch for the idea that travel is an inherent part of human nature.
“Human beings were born with legs, not roots,” he said.
I have no doubt that his extensive traveling helped him to form the whole earth perspective that led him to so many remarkable discoveries.
I share his belief in the importance of travel for human beings. I am a passionate, lifelong lover of travel, but I do admit to a strong lazy streak. And the longer I stay in one place, the stronger it gets.
I like to sit around about as much as anyone. There’s a part of me that wants to sit on the couch and not be bothered by anything. That tends to be my first response to any invitation or requirement to go anywhere. It’s just inertia, the basic animal impulse of not wanting to be disturbed.
Don’t get me wrong, staying in one place can be great. I love to savor the experience of being settled. Staying put can be very positive, for resting, restoring, contemplating, or accomplishing things. But after a long time staying in one place, stagnation starts to slip in. Everyone needs a break sometimes.
It’s not always easy to know when the time is right to break the cycle and go traveling. But when I do find myself traveling again, even short distances or to places I have been many times, I am always surprised at the powerful effect of just changing places. I am reminded again of the danger of stagnation from staying in one place for too long at a time.
I think we tend to underestimate how much power the place where we are located has over us. Having grown up in American culture, I’m proud of my sense of individualism. I’m no conformist, I tell myself, no mere leaf in the wind, controlled by elements of society or my environment. But when I change my environment and go someplace different, I am surprised…
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