Purposeful travel: Joshua Berman at TEDxBoulder
The speaker argues that embracing the difficulty and unknown aspects of travel is key to personal transformation, suggesting that confronting fear—like the base jumping witnessed—is necessary to find direction and purpose. This transformation is illustrated through the speaker's own journeys to Nicaragua and Pakistan, culminating in a surprising reconnection with a family member. ## Speakers & Context - Unnamed speaker; writing an article for a magazine called "Gravity." - Was 23 at the time of the base jumping incident. - Lived in Boulder, Colorado, during a "golden year." - Was waiting for a call from her Peace Corps recruiter regarding a two-and-a-half-year assignment. - Initially assigned to Nicaragua, described as the "Land of Lakes and Volcanoes." - Married her wife, Sutay, leading them to plan an "epic, around the world volunteering honeymoon." ## Theses & Positions - Travel is not always easy; it is fundamentally connected to the word *"travail,"* meaning to torment, to toil, or to strive. - The key to being a relaxed and effective traveler is by accepting the toil or being gracious when obstacles appear, leading to what the speaker calls a *"tranquilo traveler."* - Injecting travel with *"a little bit of fear, and a little bit of unknown"* turns it into a *"very powerful thing."* - Travel has the power to alter life's direction, transform views of humanity, or give the power to change oneself or the world. - The speaker concludes that the audience should identify the next place they want to travel or are scared to travel to, viewing it as a *"call to journey."* ## Concepts & Definitions - **Travel (etymology):** Derived from *"travail,"* meaning to torment, to toil, or to strive. - **"Tranquilo traveler":** A descriptor for a traveler who embraces the difficulty of the journey. - **"Call to journey":** The speaker's final directive to the audience to consider a place they desire to travel to or fear. ## Mechanisms & Processes - **Skill building through travel:** The process involves enduring toils and accepting obstacles to become a more resilient traveler. - **Emotional catalyst:** The combination of fear and the unknown is the mechanism that unlocks powerful, unexpected rewards from travel. - **Personal documentation:** Writing articles for *"Gravity"* served as a method of recording these experiences. ## Timeline & Sequence - **Base Jumping Incident:** Occurred while the speaker was 23, near a 1,000-foot tall radio antenna east of Boulder, Colorado. - **Pre-Nicaragua:** A couple of weeks after the base jumping incident, she received a call to serve in Central America. - **Nicaragua Service:** Spent two years in Nicaragua, returning to write travel guide books for Nicaragua and other Central American countries. - **Marriage & Planning:** Decided to undertake a volunteering honeymoon after marrying Sutay. - **Dr. Ralph Randles Stewart's Life:** Botanist, explorer, educator who collected flora in northern India and Kashmir; died in 1993 at age 103; spent over 50 years in Pakistan. - **Pakistan Trip:** Went to Pakistan in July 2005; followed clues to Professor Khwaja Masud, the sole surviving colleague of Dr Stewart. - **Contact with Ali Khwaja:** Received communication from Ali Khwaja, Professor Masud's grandson, about a photo showing the speaker's lineage connection. ## Named Entities - **Nicaragua:** The country where the speaker served in the Peace Corps; known as the "Land of Lakes and Volcanoes." - **Central America:** Region where the speaker wrote travel guides after her service. - **Los Tigritos de San Antonio:** The speaker's environmental club in the neighborhood. - **Pakistan:** Country the speaker and her wife traveled to in 2005. - **Dr. Ralph Randles Stewart:** Botanist, explorer, educator; first scientist to collect and describe flora of northern India and Kashmir; died in 1993. - **Sutay:** Speaker's wife. - **Professor Khwaja Masud:** Sole surviving colleague of Dr Stewart; turned his living room into a museum for Dr Stewart's work. - **Ali Khwaja:** Professor Masud's grandson; wrote the most recent communication to the speaker. - **Wendy:** Ali Khwaja's wife. ## Numbers & Data - Antenna height: **1,000 feet**. - Speaker's age during the incident: **23**. - Peace Corps assignment length: **two and a half years**. - Dr. Ralph Randles Stewart's lifespan: **1993** (death) at age **103**. - Dr. Stewart's work period: Over **50 years** in Pakistan. - Photograph date of Dr. Stewart's visit: **1990**. - Speaker's blog entry date: **July 2005**. - Time elapsed since the most interesting letter: **a couple of weeks ago**. ## Examples & Cases - **Base Jumping:** Witnessed Billy Ricard jump from a 1,000-foot tall radio antenna, describing the blue strobe flash catching his body. - **Peace Corps Assignment:** Service in Nicaragua, leading to writing travel guide books about Central America. - **Family Connection:** Ali Khwaja provided a photo context where he is the little one sitting on grandad's lap on the right. - **Discovery of Boulder similarity:** Ali Khwaja noted that the speaker and her wife now live in Boulder, which is "very similar to Islamabad." - **The Professor's clues:** Following clues led them to Professor Masud's living room in Pakistan, which was decorated as a museum for Dr Stewart. ## Tools, Tech & Products - Radio antenna (1,000 feet tall). - Recorder. - Magazine: *"Gravity"*. - Peace Corps service. - Blog: Mentioned the entry *"Why We Traveled to Pakistan."* ## References Cited - Kurt Vonnegut (quoted): Said, *"Peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God."* ## Counterarguments & Caveats - The speaker acknowledged that the initial incident (base jumping) was merely a vivid, dramatic moment, not necessarily the source of lifelong wisdom. - The planned "volunteering honeymoon" was initially vague, until the suggestion of Dr Stewart’s lineage provided focus. ## Methodology - **Observation/Journalism:** Writing articles for *"Gravity"* based on lived, high-stakes experiences (e.g., the antenna climb). - **Experiential Learning:** Travel is treated as a method of education where toils lead to personal growth. - **Genealogical/Historical Inquiry:** Following historical clues (Dr Stewart's work) to gain personal connection and context. ## Conclusions & Recommendations - The audience is challenged to think of the next place they want to travel or are scared of; this thought process is presented as the *"call to journey."* - The overarching principle is that hardship and the unknown are catalysts for profound, unexpected rewards in life. ## Implications & Consequences - Travel, when approached with an element of fear or struggle, acts as a powerful force for personal or global redirection of life. - The speaker's life trajectory—from journalism in Colorado to service in Central America to historical research in Pakistan—is shown as directly shaped by these journeys. ## Verbatim Moments - *"Face your fears, Bro."* - *"It was just this big, exciting void."* - *"Travel comes from the word 'travail,' which means to torment, to toil, to strive, to journey."* - *"a 'tranquilo traveler.'"* - *"When you inject travel with a little bit of fear, and a little bit of unknown, it turns it into a very powerful thing."* - *"Don't you love it when a trip chooses you?"* - *"Peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God."* - *"I see that you live in Boulder, I do too."* - *"That's your call to journey, everybody."*