For the past two weeks, I have had had the privilege of visiting London, Berlin and Amsterdam. As I traveled around these areas I was struck by the beauty and diversity that people bring to not only the culture, but the lifestyles of those that live in these areas. As I traveled and observed, I wondered what each of these places would have been like if there were only people from the local areas that were part of these cultures.

Think about it for a moment. If you enjoy an Indian meal, yet you had no Indian immigrants to bring their spices and recipes, how would that be possible? The same goes for Chinese, Vietnamese, African and others. What if everyone spoke the same language, looked the same and ate the same food? At what point would that become boring, mundane and leaving us wanting for something different?

While countries work hard to do everything in their power to close their borders to those that are different, we seem to forget that none of us were original settlers of our beautiful lands. Originally, we all came from somewhere far away, and arriving we brought new ways of life, new ways of thinking and a vast diversity that enhanced the place that we would occupy and call home.

This trip I got to visit my ancestral home of Rochester, England. While walking the grounds I imagined those that walked before me. I wondered what they experienced, how they lived and what ultimately brought them to the land that we call America? The ruined castles and homes no longer inhabitable gave me insight into how those that came before me lived before they discovered the new world.

One thing I realized more than anything else is that we are are all only as good as the sum of the parts that make up the fabric of who we are. The mixture of cultures stand at the forefront of what makes living all that more fun. Experiencing the world through other’s eyes and appreciating what they offer to our world is what makes life great, exciting and even grand.

One of my greatest passions is seeing different parts of the world. I have been doing that since my senior year of high school. Never once have I returned from a trip and not basked in the awe of what the many cultures of the world have to offer. Never once have I not appreciated the contributions they make to not only my world, but our world as a whole.

Mornings with Ron is available as a podcast at anchor.fm/morningswithron or in iHeartRadio, Apple or Google Podcasts, Spotify or most podcast sites.