Don't Judge the World by Its Cover

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” – Saint Augustine

I find that to be a very profound analogy. They say that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover; if you truly want to know and understand the book, then you have to read through its pages one by one until the end.

Imagine the world like being a book. What if we judge the world by its cover? What if we judge the world just after reading a page of it? Would that be a fair picture of the world? It would not.

We have to get out of our page and explore other pages. We have to get out of our chapter and explore other chapters. We might discover things that are different than what we are accustomed to.

Different doesn’t necessarily mean bad. Different doesn’t necessarily mean wrong. Different could represent another side of good and right. We might discover other beautiful ways of living, that are in no way less beautiful and meaningful than our ways.

Of course, we can disagree with differences, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t live with those differences. Living together, despite of our differences, requires us to be open and to experience life through the eyes of the other.

Fear of the unknown is real and the fear can lead to us treating the unknown as a threat. It is like being afraid of the dark. But once we switch on the light, we see that there is nothing to be afraid of.

The world is dark for those who don’t travel. There are so many unknowns all around. If we want to remove the unknowns and understand the world, then we have to explore the world. We can’t claim that we know and understand the world if we only explore one place, one small place.

If you only read one page, then you can’t claim to know the whole book; even if you have read that page over and over again. You may have mastered the page, but you haven’t even scratched the surface of the book.
Flip the pages. Get out. Explore. Experience new places, meet new people, discover new cultures, see new perspectives, and dive into what makes the world beautiful. The beauty of the world is in its diversity.

After all, all the different pages are all parts of one cohesive book. This book, if we were to read it page by page, has so many beautiful stories in it.

The book, this world, is indeed a page turner.

You can’t get enough of it.

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