SQJ Taipei

Hi. I’m SQJTaipei. I run this blog. If I don’t post something soon I’m in danger of having an empty NOV 2007 archive. Can’t have that.

I’m sorting through virtual piles of emails and RSS feeds after my recent trip to the US and uncovered this gem over at The Wittenburg Door.

Rolf Potts: Traveling Mercies | Wittenburg Door

Rolf Potts is a travel writer and is probably best known for his book, Vagabonding.

He submitted a story to The Door magazine early in his writing career and recently sat down for an interview with the magazine.

Good stuff… some highlights for me:

DOOR: Speaking of which, we found a lot of understated, yet inarguably Christian philosophy in the pages of your book, Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel. Have other readers noticed this?

POTTS: You know, dozens of secular readers have written in to tell me how their favorite line in my book was, “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” I have to tell them that I cribbed that word-for-word from the Gospel of Matthew. I never specifically attributed it to Jesus because I assumed people were familiar with the Sermon on the Mount in the way people are familiar with Hamlet’s death soliloquy. It’s amazing how many people don’t know the Sermon on the Mount—if nothing else because some secular circles tout ignorance of the Bible as a sign of virtue. So it’s kind of fun to see that people who would never publicly pick up a Bible are praising the Christian parts of my book.

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(About travel)

As far as spiritual seekers go, I think it depends on where you travel. Western travelers may be more likely to explore Buddhism in a place like Laos, but that’s an expression of where they are. It’s also an extension of the fact that many secular Americans feel their own culture, including its Christian component, has become materialistic and spiritually empty. Ironically, I’ve found that those very Lao people, whom travelers idealize for Buddhist simplicity, tend to talk a lot about their desire for, say, a decent fridge, or a color TV. So it can be a weird trade-off, each culture envying the ways of the other.

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DOOR: What do you think evangelical Christians have to gain from independent world travel?

POTTS: In a word: perspective. American evangelicalism is a very young tradition that has its own culture-specific language and idiosyncrasies. The Christians of Ethiopia or Palestine, on the other hand, are part of a local tradition that goes directly back to Christ and the apostles. These people have a lot to teach—and if you’re talking instead of listening around Old World Christians, you’re missing out on a golden chance to better understand your own faith and traditions. This can be humbling—and it isn’t always comfortable, because it forces you to look beyond the comfortable clichés of American evangelicalism.

This learning experience needn’t be limited to the Christian world. You can learn a lot about faith in general from sincere Buddhists or Muslims or Sikhs. This doesn’t mean you have to become a Buddhist, Muslim or Sikh; I’m just saying that if you approach them with respect as a person of faith, there’s a lot both parties can learn.

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DOOR: What advice would you give to Christian travelers who want to take off a year or two and wander the world?

POTTS: First off, just do it. If it’s something you’ve dreamed about, don’t put it off; just make it happen. You don’t have to be rich; you don’t have to be a college student; you don’t have to be a counterculture dropout; you just have to get out and do it. Get my book if you want specifics on how to make a long-term world journey a personal reality.

Second, and just as important, is to break out of the Christian travel-bubble and just wander. Have a good time, and don’t feel guilty for having a good time. I know some Christian backpackers who just shuttle from mission project to mission project, or from one Christian hostel to another. This is great—I definitely recommend volunteering and fellowship on the road—but it’s also very limiting if you do it exclusively.

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DOOR: I notice you talk about evangelicals at arm’s length, like you don’t consider yourself one.

POTTS: For me, evangelical Christianity is like an ex-girlfriend who you once loved very much—but now when you’re around her, every little tic, cliché and hollow pleasantry drives you nuts.

Here’s the link again:

Rolf Potts: Traveling Mercies | Wittenburg Door