Most People Are Decent

Along the way, we experience something that is hard to believe, especially when you watch the news. The fear instilled in us daily by the media and politics is so far removed from what we experience every day.

A world full of warnings

If you follow the news, the world sometimes seems like a dangerous place. Wars, scams, theft, violence. People who begrudge each other even the light of day. It is almost as if we have to be suspicious to protect ourselves. As if you have to be constantly on your guard. As we have been traveling through Europe and North Africa with Globus 2 for several years now, we are experiencing a very different story.

Trust as a starting point

Of course, we are careful. Near large cities, we always park in a guarded parking lot. We keep a close eye on our belongings. That is common sense. However, we also notice that if you approach people with an open heart and trust, you often receive exactly that in return. A closed attitude creates distance; an open smile invites contact. As if trust, however fragile, rewards itself.

The power of good

We have also experienced how hard the other side can hit. When my camera was recently stolen in Italy, it affected us deeply ( see this blog ). Not only because it involved valuable equipment, but also because our camera is part of our life on the road. We blog, vlog, and write columns. With our camera, we capture the world we encounter along the way. Yet, something happened afterwards that perhaps made an even greater impression on us. After we had written about the theft, we received donations from various people via our website. People we often do not know personally at all. They just wanted to do something. A small amount, a message of sympathy, a gesture of support. The theft was committed by one person, but the support came from many. We would therefore like to thank these people very much!

A book that stays with you

When I recently read the book Most People Are Decent by Rutger Bregman, I frequently found myself thinking about what we experience on our travels. Our experience is, in fact, not at all that people are bad. On the contrary. We actually meet people who are helpful, hospitable, and friendly remarkably often. What Bregman describes therefore feels primarily like a confirmation of what we ourselves experience on our journeys.

Research shows that soldiers in wars often do not like shooting at each other nearly as much as we think. Bayonets were also used much less than one might expect. Perhaps we simply cannot kill each other, or can barely kill each other, when looking one another straight in the eye.

The German army in the Second World War is also an interesting example. It was known as one of the most effective armies of that time. Not because soldiers fought for a great German empire or an ideology, but primarily because they were loyal to their comrades.

When boundaries blur

Along the way, we meet people we have never seen before. A garage that pulls out all the stops to get us back on the road quickly. Berbers in Morocco with whom we drink tea, and families in Tunisia who invite us to dinner. People with a different language, culture, or faith, but with the same desires: a safe home, health, love, and a little happiness. Perhaps people are much more alike than we often think.

Having tea with Berbers

Visiting a Tunisian family

What if...?

What if we have come to believe that the world is harsher than it really is? What if fear spreads faster than kindness? And what if goodness has become so commonplace that we hardly notice it anymore? Perhaps we are simply looking at the wrong stories. At the exceptions that are greatly magnified, while the millions of small moments of trust and kindness pass us by silently.

We are presented with so much fear every day, but along the way, trust proves stronger.

The journey teaches otherwise

Our journey has not taught us that everyone is good. That would be naive. We have seen the other side as well. But it has taught us that most people are simply trying to lead a good life. Just like us. With mistakes, insecurities, and good intentions. It is as clear and omnipresent as you would have thought, if only you were willing to see it. We don't always have to understand each other to still be able to connect. That realization doesn't make the world perfect. But it does make it a lot more beautiful.

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Keep wondering

Perhaps a better world does not begin with grand political plans, complex theories, and certainly not with wars. Perhaps it begins very small. With the way we look at each other. With a little more trust, a little less fear, and the willingness not to immediately view the other as a threat. Perhaps the world is not as bad as we sometimes think. What if we let go of fear just a little and started feeling trust again?

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