Cos everybody hates a tourist
So sang Jarvis Cocker of the band Pulp many, many years ago in their song ‘Common People’. Well maybe he had a point, in a way. But I would argue something rather different—I believe that we should all be tourists as much as we possibly can.
I guess at this point I need to unpack what I mean by the word ‘tourist’ a little bit. What I’m not talking about here is strapping on your fanny pack, buying an oversized Coke-and-burger meal and waddling down the strip in Vegas. No. What I’m talking about instead is learning to react to things rather like a tourist would.
I used to live very near to Tower Bridge in London. If you’re not aware of it, Google it. Tower Bridge is one of the most famous landmarks in this city, an imposing and beautiful structure that rises to allow boats to pass through it several times a day.
I used to walk over this bridge, go running over it, take cabs over it, whatever. I used to cross it a hell of a lot. And nearly every time I did, I would see a group of tourists with their cameras and smartphones, snapping pictures.
Now, if you live in a big city or an equivalent place of interest then you’ll know that it’s pretty damn easy to joke about tourists. They turn up, walk slowly, clog up public transport, buy tacky souvenirs and take photographs of weird things (as well as boosting the local economy and creating jobs, of course!)
But when you take a step back and consider the matter properly, how fantastic that they should find Tower Bridge—a landmark that I had become overly-accustomed to—so fascinating. Because of course it is fascinating. It’s a marvellous piece of architecture. It’s a triumph of engineering. It is an historic landmark.
Shame on me for taking it for granted for so long.
This is why I try as hard as I can to adopt the tourist mentality wherever I am, even in my own city. The fact is that everything around us is interesting, since it either represents an example of human endeavour or natural phenomenon.
I don’t know about you, but I have spent far too much of my life so wrapped up in my own business (a narrow order of business at that) that I have failed to properly appreciate all of the wonderful experiences and things that I’ve had.
This isn’t just about knowledge and gratitude—although both of those things are essential. It’s also about the value you can take from the scene around you, and what you are missing if you don’t. I regularly get ideas for articles and posts from things I see in the street—graffiti, people’s behaviour, posters, signs and so on. These things can become content that helps me to market my business, literally putting money in my pocket.
So the tourist mindset is not only great for the soul, it can be great for you financially as well. The truth is that we are all products of the world, and the world is our parent and our nourishment. As a result, the closer attention we can pay to what is around us, the more nurtured and better-nourished we will be.
So from now on, be a tourist—even in your own home.
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