When Worlds Collide

When you think of the world what do you think of? Don’t worry I’ll wait. Do you think of the complex order of mother earth, her climate, her atmosphere or did you think of the world in terms of the tiny subsection of the planet that you call your home? Admit it, it’s harder to think much less even comprehend the entire world. It’s just too complex. Whereas your world is tangible. You can actually see that old tree you used to swing on at a young age, those mesmerizing rows of cornfields and the endless rolling hills that you ventured across to get to wherever it was you were going. Isn’t it strange that someone across the Atlantic or even someone in the same province or territory as you envisions something entirely different? Isn’t that why we are so intoxicated with our sensory perceptions when we visit other countries? We may see life on a tropical island as an oasis but the people that live there just see it as their world.

I never thought of small town Mildmay, Ontario could ever be a subject of interest to anyone especially from a metropolitan area. There is suddenly plenty of worldly views I can share about living in an area that values space, a strong sense of community and their meat n’ patates. Toronto was initially an adjustment for me. After finding out that I was not as likely to get shot, stabbed, or robbed as I originally thought I began to redefine my worldly expectations. If those crimes are as common as I was originally made to believe I feel slighted that no one has yet taken the initiative to put me in my place.

I’m about to embark on “A Whole New World” type of opportunity and am looking forward to challenging my concept of what my vision of the world entails. I’m not concerned with wooing a princess on a magic carpet ride as much as I am interested in gaining direct insider information on what makes the world a holistic ecosystem. Vacations are nice because they interrupt our system of expectations for our daily experience. When you’re gone for a week you can maintain that glow which is a sort of honeymoon effect. Once that wears off and you’re gone for longer than a month is when you will undoubtedly change and feel the need to integrate into this new world which is when the most learning will occur. I hope to learn as much as possible about our differences and more importantly about our similarities in order to expand my definition of what is intrinsically human behaviour. It’s too often that I hear stories about human behaviour in other parts of the world and the word “weird” comes to mind. I’m looking forward to what might happen and how I’ll change as a result when worlds collide.

For your convenience the link to the song that’s stuck in your head. “A Whole New World” singing both Jasmine and Aladdin’s parts by Nick Pitera.