Part of the series ‘Letters to Young Christians’.
Dear Adrian,
Well done on getting through year twelve and securing your spot at uni! As I mentioned on Sunday, my years at university were hugely formative for me as a Christian. University itself was disappointing. As a first-generation university attender, I got quite excited about the idea of joining clubs, writing manifestos on the back of cigarette packets, getting involved in the debating societies, and so on. In Australia, if you live in a residential College at one of the sandstone universities, you might get an experience that approximates that. Sort of. But, truth be told, university in Australia for most people is pretty thin relationally and light-on in terms of extracurricular activities.
It was also, in my experience, a bit thin educationally. I studied English and anthropology. I loved it, to be sure. But it was like a buffet—you just choose courses that looked interesting. I wasn’t forced to read in the Western Canon, or required to learn how to read Chaucer or what iambic pentameter is. And yet, I emerged with a degree in English literature! That’s like sending a doctor out into the world without a basic grasp of human biology. It was only at theological college that I received what I’d now think of as a liberal humanist education (“liberal” meaning “free” and “humanism” meaning a return to the original sources and languages, rather than relying on latter commentators).
Anyway, the Christian Union was a lifeline for me at uni. Through it I made lifelong friends and experienced something of what I thought university should be. Thanks to a group the university barely knew existed, my student years were rich and rewarding. I hope they are for you too.
“Travel Narrows the Mind”
Great call to also have a gap year. As you know, I did the same. I loved it! I hope you do too. I did want to follow up on what I said on Sunday about travel being overrated. We were interrupted and I didn’t get a chance to go back and explain what I meant. The cheeky quote I shared with you was from the late Roger Scruton, an English philosopher, who said, “travel narrows the mind.” The claim comes, I seem to recall, in his book on the philosophy of wine. I’m not sure he explains what he meant even there. If he did, I don’t remember it. But it’s stuck with me. Here’s how I’ve thought it through:
People often travel with a view to “experiencing the world.” However, what they’re really experiencing is a very limited set of things—what backpacker culture is like, what (mainly white, wealthy, Western) people in their early twenties are like, and that Australian coffee is better than anything you’ll find in France. There’s a song by Paul Kelly that captures this. Written from the perspective of an Australian backpacker going through Europe barely noticing the culture as he trying to meet women and get drunk. The chorus (sorry about the language) declares: “Every f*$#ing city looks the same.”
Travel to Do Something, Not Just to See Something
Travel, in other words, is not a silver bullet to maturity. Indeed, quite the opposite. The backpacker lifestyle can promote a kind of immaturity. You’re entirely focussed on yourself for the duration of the travel, and self-interest and immaturity correlate very well. I remember, when I was hitch-hiking in Zambia (long story!), seeing a woman who’d coming to Africa to “see poverty” literally push poor locals out of a queue in order to secure her place on a bus. Ew!
The secret ingredient to maturity is not travel, but responsibility. Responsibility grows you up. A kid who finishes school, gets a job, builds a small business and a family in their hometown will learn a lot more about the world than a kid who spends those same years bouncing around Europe.
Having said all that, I’ve been thankful for opportunities to travel. Now you’ve got opportunities too, and I reckon you should take them. But here’s the trick: going somewhere to do something is infinitely better that going somewhere to see something. Getting a job on a wheat-belt farm will grow you up, stretch you, expose you to more diversity and more new experiences than a 6-week tour of Europe. And if, like me, you really like Europe and the UK, go there! But go and work on a farm, or in a church, or with a charity. Live somewhere, and make sure that place is slightly better for you having been there. Taking responsibility is the key.
In the Garden, Adam was God’s son. But he was, as we sometimes forget, God’s adult son. Being the son of God for Adam didn’t (or didn’t only) imply intimacy and affection. It involved the learning the Father’s business—the business of filling the earth and subduing it. God gave Adam real responsibility. He named the animals and “whatever Adam call them, that was their name” (Genesis 2:19).
Life in your twenties has all sorts of charms! It’s an exciting stage of life. Enjoy it! And travel has all sorts of benefits. Go for it! But go for it in taking on responsibility and serving others.
Your affectionate uncle,
Rory
