By Thomas Hughes, Esq
Thomas Hughes, Esq
Last weekend I traveled to Tijuana, Mexico with a friend, Matt, from college.
Before leaving, all I heard from everyone, literally EVERYONE, is that you should not go. I was berated by comments and questions like – If you go, be safe and don’t die. Don’t get kidnapped. Don’t get mugged. Are you serious? Why would you want to risk your life like that? Thomas, please think of your dog.
With these sentiments, I started to think maybe I should not go. Maybe this is a very, very bad decision. The fear from others infected my own thoughts. I grew nervous and doubted myself and my beliefs about traveling.
However, as I have learned to do, I decided to focus my energy on where this fear was originating. Why are people so alarmed and scared to go 30 minutes away from where they currently are now? Was the media creating this situation? Were people actually witnessing horrible things first-hand? Was Tijuana really that changed since the last time I was down there? Did traveling to Tijuana mean I was going to die?
Even though I was overwhelmed by people’s concern and preoccupied by my own inner doubts and fears, I moved forward. I chose actions that allowed me to travel even though all the signs pointed elsewhere. I did this because I do not share in the belief that you should let fear dictate your decisions in life. In fact, I try constantly to do things in the face of that fear.
Thus, when the U.S. government announced a new security tourism travel alert for United States citizens traveling to Mexico the day before we left, I still moved forward. Even though CNN continued to show coverage of people being shot and killed in Juarez, I still moved forward. Even when my own friends and family cautioned me, voicing their concern for my safety and life, I still moved forward. read more »
