In an article in the New York Times, I came across a word which describes the human need to seek novelty — Neophilia. While the characteristics of a neophiliac do not entirely describe me, the love for novelty does. This love and need brings about two important and mutually inclusive concepts that resonate through every human endeavor: Curiosity and Exploration. Curiosity is the trait we should admire most in ourselves and in other people (despite the misused proverb). If curiosity is the cause, exploration is the effect. To explore is to experience new things and learn, which gives rise to more curiosity. Experiencing new things not only has a meditative quality that serves as an incentive, but it is what makes the experience itself more meaningful. And so we Travel Expanding my world can only happen when I actually explore it, participate in it, and engage with it. By leaving my comfort zone and learning what is out there — the places, their people, their
The Owl & Glaive 