Photo taken in Copenhagen, Denmark
Universe-City
During college, I quickly realized how much more I enjoyed learning there than I ever did in high school. It felt like a major upgrade from rigid schedules and bland cafeteria lunches.
College offered freedom—a flexible structure, engaging classes, and a wide range of activities. Each day brought something new, and I loved the sense of possibility.
I especially appreciated long breaks to meet friends for lunch or explore campus events. There was always something happening, and students from all backgrounds took part in it.
That time helped me see how fitting the word “universe” was for this phase of life. Moving from high school to college felt like stepping into an entirely new and unpredictable world.
I often found myself among buildings buzzing with ideas, perspectives, and career paths. Together, they created a layered and complex “universe-city.”
Looking back, it felt much like encountering something foreign—unexpected but not necessarily alarming.
Redundant Information
For one fall semester, I weekly attended one evening course with a professor who lectured on the fundamental concepts of sociology. It was an introductory class focused on a wide breadth of ideas related to society and its influence on structures, communities, and social functions.
One concept stuck: the tendency to form lasting bonds with people like ourselves. The idea wasn’t new, but its consequences surprised me.
The professor explained how we naturally build our lives around familiar interests and values. According to him, most people prefer the comfort of sameness, often leading to predictable social patterns.
He noted that while some may resist this, many fall into cycles of reinforcing what they already know and surround themselves with repetition—of thought, habits, and understanding. In his view, it meant living out one’s life with redundant information.
His words left the class silent. Some were skeptical, but I found the idea unsettling.
It made me wonder: why choose a predictable life? Of course, I understood the comforts of familiar things, but how far should one take it before realizing that any feelings of numbed aliveness and spontaneity arise directly from one’s preference for sameness and conformity?
Surprise of Newness
Not everyone embraces the unknown. For many, surprises bring anxiety, tied to a fear of losing control.
As creatures of habit, we often prefer to know what’s coming. Studies show that predictability strongly shapes our choices and actions.
But this need for certainty can hold us back. Sticking only with what’s familiar limits our exposure to new ideas and perspectives.
Unfamiliar experiences—even uncomfortable ones—can spark growth. In those moments of friction or disagreement, real learning begins.
When we set aside our egos and deeply held beliefs, we create space to hear opposing views. We may not agree, but we can still respect and understand others’ perspectives.
Changing the labels
Throughout history, people who are different have been labeled as “foreigners,” “outlanders,” or “strangers.” These terms, while practical, often imply exclusion and create an illusion of otherness that hinders trust and community.
The word “stranger” itself carries the notion of something unfamiliar and even unsettling; perhaps a quite obvious notion seeing as it derives from the word “strange.” But who truly falls into the category of a stranger?
Do we not meet strangers all the time at events, parties, and intimate gatherings? Aren’t we all strangers to someone at one point, even to those who eventually become our closest friends?
Thankfully, we can change the meaning behind labels, expanding our ability to connect and understand the world around us. This is helpful especially since preconceived notions only confirm what we already believe, rather than opening us up to the full complexity of others’ experiences.
It becomes a kind of delusion—no longer conversation, just filtered perception. In reality, we can’t fully understand someone else’s world without experiencing it firsthand.
We either imagine it and respond with empathy, or immerse ourselves in it. In entering a new culture that we’ve only read or heard about before, we are instantly given new eyes along with a fresh take on life and novel ways of living it.
In Neither Here nor There, Bill Bryson wrote:
“I can’t think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything. Suddenly you are five years old again. You can’t read anything. You only have the most rudimentary sense of how things work. You can’t even reliably cross a street without endangering your life. Your whole existence becomes a series of interesting guesses.”
Citizen of the World
We live in a world of countless cultures, shaped by music, food, art, and tradition. The beauty of this diversity becomes especially clear through travel and living abroad.
This truth becomes even more apparent through exploration and stepping into new environments. By immersing ourselves in unfamiliar places, we realize how similar we are beneath our differences.
Adopting a global mindset means stepping out of our comfort zones and embracing the unknown. Everything feels new at first, but there’s so much to gain from experiencing life beyond what we know.
In Me Talk Pretty One Day, David Sedaris wrote:
“Life might be difficult for a while, but I would tough it out because living in a foreign country is one of those things that everyone should try at least once. My understanding was that it completed a person, sanding down the rough provincial edges and transforming you into a citizen of the world.”
Through this experience, we gain not just a broader worldview, but also greater self-reliance, resourcefulness, and humility—gifts that can renew our sense of wonder and take you places you might someday dare to go.
