Ely Air Lines: August 31, 2021 Why We Travel

The Liberty Gazette

August 31, 2021

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: Since aviation has such a significant role in travel, I think it is likely that most aviators are natural wanderlusts. We are people drawn to the awe of flight which fills us with something indescribable. But it’s not just pilots who long to see beyond the horizon. Millions of people cherish breaks from the routine of life for periods of nomadic wonder. Why do we leave home and all that is familiar? Various motives drive us to meander; the yearning to be amazed, to learn, to search for meaning, to enjoy life and make the unfamiliar familiar. If you followed your dreams, where would they take you?

Dmitry, a Bulgarian artisan in Plovdiv

If you have traveled extensively, do you remember the feeling the first time you viewed an art masterpiece in person, went on your first castle tour, had your first exotic food experience, your first taste of the effects of war and poverty in a third-world country? Why does travel have such a powerful and deep impact on us? In large part it’s because of our humanity and this space and moment we share. It’s also because history, art, and people together create culture, and when we venture out to experience different cultures, we grow. We find differences and similarities in others and thank God for his variety in creation. Travel changes us.

Ground Zero, NYC

We don’t have to agree with all cultures’ beliefs. The world includes evil, and with travel, we learn so much more firsthand about both good and evil. As a traveler, we learn to listen, because history speaks. We learn to value liberty and justice, and know they are not free. The cost is found among the losses and victories in the collective past of humanity.

The triumph and tears I’ve found in Rwanda, Congo, Uganda and Sudan offer connection, compassion, and gratitude. Graffiti, bullet holes, and bombed building remains in Bosnia gifted me with candid, stark realness of people, like you and me, who sheltered their children in basements, their only toys the shards of destruction. Touching those ruined landmarks while listening to survivors, we struggle together to understand. In doing so, we sense the unseen connection of pain and hope. South Vietnamese citizens who still bravely call their city “My Saigon” inspire us and remind us how much we have in common. The people’s determination to rebuild war-ravaged Croatia proves how God strengthens us to rise again.

Celebration of Life, Batak, Bulgaria

Fish pedicure, Siem Reap, Cambodia

The beauty of the Julian Alps while flying over Slovenia, the landscape of my Scottish heritage, and the farms of rural Iceland under the aurora borealis fill me with a sense of peace and awe. In the Tyrolian region of Austria, tradition is kept alive with joyful dance and song. Within our own country, traveling teaches us to appreciate the past as if we had lived it, if we are open to learning the truth without the destructive need to re-write or erase it.

As the best example of all, Jesus’ disciples traveled to share the Good News, an answer to the search for meaning.