The Other Side of Paradise

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The Other Side of Paradise

Any avid viewer of television has seen the advertisement. The sun reflects over a gleaming ocean, ornately dressed women dance in circles, smiling couples dine at sunset, children laugh and run across the beach, then the announcer says, “come to Barbados, paradise awaits you”. Although I consider myself a grounded and logical person, I confess that each time the announcer alluringly gives the invitation, wistful thoughts run through my head. The idea of leaving behind the chaos of everyday life and retreating to a place of laughter and no worries is truly tempting. I do not even typically enjoy the beach, but the concept of paradise, whatever that may mean, attracts me. Where does the glamour of travel come from? What is it about Americans that makes them desperate to escape?

The obvious answer to this, or the counter question would be: what is it about Americans that causes them so much stress? I’ve been told that compared to the rest of the world, Americans spend an average of fifteen percent more time working. A thirty-hour week in Europe is considered a full-time job; In America forty hours is a conservative estimate. Less developed continents have lower employment rates and by default do not place as much emphasis on working. However, in America working and being a contributing part of society is a large part of proving self-worth. This work leads to the need for rest. One author stated that, “The realization of the need for recreation and travel is an awareness of an affective state usually signaling physical and/or mental exhaustion, and/or social needs such as recognition or inclusion. The need can also come about through a realization of curiosity for certain experiences. Both types of need are often linked with the habitualized opportunity to travel” (Boshoff et. al. 155). Rest comes in many forms; some people find it in exercise, some in zoning out in front of a TV or going out for a nice meal, and others through drugs or alcohol. However travel is somewhat of an American pastime. Most everyone remembers packing up for family vacations in their younger years. Trips to the store for sunscreen, bug spray and snacks, fights over who gets the window seat, games to entertain on the trip, and threats by exhausted, frustrated, and often lost parents are all parts of growing up.

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