Lost Diversity in the Course of Time
This article was originally published in German. The English version is an automatic translation and may contain errors. The German original is authoritative.
Every journey is an escape; an escape from the familiar. We travel to experience something new. Simply an escape from routine, which, however, is becoming increasingly difficult. Not only because nowadays we always carry our familiar surroundings in our trouser pocket, but also because what is known has already arrived before us.
I am talking about the large, optimised supermarket chains, the globally known fast-food franchises, the standardised and well-air-conditioned hotels that are so familiar to us all. What they have in common is that they kill diversity. Once I find my way around in my local Lidl branch, I will have no problem working through my shopping list efficiently and quickly at the Lidl in 28 countries during my holiday. "Practical!", one might claim, "boring!", I say. Why should one travel at all if one likes it simple and time-saving – then it is more practical at home. Travelling expects a minimum of curiosity and a sense of adventure. A foreign place should be foreign, and not familiar and logically structured.
When I leave my homeland, I do not want an interchangeable hot drink in a paper cup from a large chain, I want to find a small unique, cosy café that I cannot find at home. Holidays are always culinary breathing spaces. We travel with all our senses, and all seven senses need a change from time to time, otherwise they fall asleep. There is always talk of having to leave one's comfort zone. Easier said than done when regional differences are shrinking and everything is becoming more similar.
Globalisation makes travel easier, but in doing so it also smooths away any rough edges and corners. Even in the 19th century it was sometimes difficult to communicate across regional borders. Doubtless we have it easier today, but much diversity is lost. Nowadays, so many dialects are threatened with extinction as never before. Diversity can be found everywhere: linguistically, culturally, culinarily, architecturally, etc. the list goes on endlessly.
However, we are currently sacrificing a great deal of diversity in the search for simplicity and optimisation. For my part, I want to experience diversity with all my senses and that is becoming increasingly difficult. True travellers are pursuers of globalisation and not its beneficiaries.
Pascal Pill