Most people have been in this kind of situation: you have just finished a great deal of work and want to finally relax. But is going thousands of miles away from home really worth it? Do I really want to spend two weeks around people I can't even talk to? Or shall I just stay home, watch the TV and have great time with my friends? I probably attribute myself to the last kind of people. But how do I deal with the irresistible desire of travel and knowledge? The answer can be found in a matter of a second - Internet.
Indeed, what can be better than a siesta on a bed with your laptop reading about countries you have never been to? Pretty much anything, unless you are the Indiana Jones kind of a pers
...on like me. Moreover, reading. Reading, reading, reading. So many of us have forgotten how important it is to read. Most teenagers will prefer to play video games, watch a movie, go out with friends, go out with friends to watch or a movie or even tidy up (!); anything, but read.
Furthermore, don't forget about your friends! They will prefer to spend more time with you than eat frog legs with a random Frenchman so don't just kiss them goodbye and bugger off to France yourself. Your friends will be very much more important in the future than knowing that New Zealand is one of three countries in the world to have two national anthems. And remember this new gadget you really wanted? Isn't it better to buy it instead of a ticket to
Egypt?
But is it really the case? Would the real Indiana Jones stay in his flat and eat crisps instead of going out and whipping some bad guys with his lasso? Would he prefer a Monday lie in? I don't think so. And just as it is important to read, it is important to go out and at least walk! Nearly 65% of people in the UK are overweight or obese. A question instinctively pops up: does Internet have something to do with it?
The answer is yes. Internet probably has made out lives easier, but didn't they become too easy? One can order anything online: from a set of pencils to food and even bloody air planes! But is it actually any good? Was it really too hard to walk half a mile to the nearest shop? People nowadays are lazier than ever, and Internet is one of the main reasons for that.
Most importantly, you will never get the same knowledge about a country from the Internet. You will never be able to share the unbelievable number of emotions you went through. You will never be able to forget the country and its people if you have been there and talked to them. One may get a blurred overview from the net, or choose to become a part of a country, a little bit of its history and a little bit of memory of its people.
But you are the only one to select: would you rather lie on the bed with a bag of crisps and your favourite movie, or go out there and get a head full
of images, feelings, emotions and memories? The choice is after you.
