In this day and age, there is soooo much exposure to, well, everything. Unprecidented access. Depending on what you type into the search field on whatever search engine you like, you can explore whatever topic interests you.
This I have done, and will continue to do.
Lately, I've been foolin' around with Google Earth and seeing what different cities in different countries look like. The resolution is good up to a certain point in some areas, while in others you can zoom right down to street level and virtually be there, in that neighborhood, which is really freaky, almost voyeuristic.
Tip of the iceberg, so far. So much more to explore, and I get tired after a while, so I move on to different sites.
It's crazy, man, wild, and raises a lot of questions. Who is building this thing over here? What is going on in this complex there? Has anybody ever set foot on this island in the middle of the ocean that has only shrubbery on it? This place looks partially abandoned, this one is crowded beyond belief, this town's roads are all dirt, etc., etc.
Saketh Garuda- Unsplash.com
Why can't the resolution be better? Hmm.....
Maybe it's better if it wasn't, for any number of reasons.
I can travel and not leave the sofa. Unheard of only thirty years ago, unless I read National Geographic or watched TV, those portals being extraordinarily limited compared to what I can do now.
The realization that comes up in my mind about all this is if I can get this kind of access so can anybody else with a computer in most countries and so we're looking at each other, in a way, seeing what it's like to live in each other's neighborhoods. I can't go into their houses but I can walk down (some of) their streets and that tells me a lot about their culture. I can't be polarized or have a strong opinion about them after seeing this because hell, they live kind of like I do. Not much difference, really. Everybody lives in a house of some kind, there are streets that go from house to house, and bigger roads that lead people to where they work, there are airports and shipping docks and all that, farmfields, recreational facilities...
.....but, as well, I'm not naive. I know that there is vile corruption and heartless oppression going on in many of the areas that I view but- the basic layout of civilization is undeniably present.
Occasionally exploring, and armchair traveling I will be. Also waiting for further upgrades of Google Earth. This is getting interesting.