05/12/2025
i’ve always thought adaptability was a sign of intelligence… bc that meant you weren’t completely taken over or ruled by one nationality or culture. but then i’d catch myself like… wait, why does this sound like i’m assuming culture is always a bad influence? at some point i have to be SOMETHING? and wh-wh-what about people who are SOOO proud of their cultures? i mean, maybe there is something magical about being born where you’re born and going with it. and besides, if everyone thought like me, would travel even matter? isn’t the whole point that places feel like one thing, even if that means some of those people have never questioned their culture? so now here’s where i’ve landed: none of this actually contradicts anything. 😅 adaptability doesn’t mean idolizing other cultures to fit in or romanticizing every local custom, it just means that if you want to be german and sip beer, or french and eat cheese, or american and loud, you do it because you’re aware you chose it, not bc it’s just “the way it is.” kinda like knowing vegas is a shtshow and going anyway, bc that’s the fun?! this way, everyone can be who they want to be, and we still preserve the beauty of culture, so places can still feel like distinct places. the point was never to throw your nationality under the bus just because you could’ve been born halfway across the world; it’s just to go see other versions of life first, and THEN consciously choose it (or not!). phew. glad we got that figured out. i need a drink.
