Shame on you: when you don’t even know your surroundings

I recently read an article about the natural wonders of Puerto Rico. Certain private companies sponsored a survey where Puerto Ricans voted for their favorite places on the island. People really voted for the most beautiful places but what caught my attention was a comment in the discussion forum. Somebody commented the following:

 Shame on me!!!! I have 42 years and I have not visited any of these places.

 Apparently, this person hasn’t visited any of the selected wonders. For me this comment is quite shocking and I’ll tell you why. Puerto Rico is an island that measures 100 miles long by 35 wide (actually the size is slightly different but this is the most popular size description). In other words, the distances are short and there are highways connecting the various points on the island. Most of the selected wonders are protected by the state. This means that the cost of entry is minimal or null. In my mind, I find no excuse for not having been to either one of these places.

 The forum commenter expression implies that he has not visited any of these places because of neglect and/or lack of initiative. At the same time, he says that he is not pleased with his status. I bet a thousand dollars that he is dying to go to all those places. And he is not the only one.  There are more people in this situation than we can imagine.  I know countless people who have lived many years in the same place and are not aware of their surroundings. They have a well-defined routine and don’t deviate from it in any way. And my question is: are they missing something?

 I mean, is there anything negative with working all week and doing the same things every weekend? Is there something wrong with having the same recreation routine (watch TV and movies, play electronic games, shop at the mall, etc.)? What’s wrong with eating at the same restaurants or eating the same thing at home? Because why complicate things when they are perfectly set up?

 But I do see a problem with this predictable people. The problem is that they are dying to do something different. I do not think people feel satisfied being like that (I do not know any that conforms, on the other hand, they frequently complain.) They can say one thing and feel another deep in their hearts. Also, I do not think a man or woman feels satisfied and fullfilled with so little. Perhaps many of us are victims of predictability and conformism at some degree.

 So if you feel identified with what I described, don’t think it’s hard to break the routine. All around you there are plenty of places to go and lots of things to do for all budgets and interests. There will always be a park, beach, restaurant, festival, market, mountain or desert you have not visited. And most likely you don’t live in Puerto Rico. So you have more than 3,500 square miles to explore.

 My husband has been living in the United Sates much less time than me. Sometimes he asks me, “You’ve been living in California so many years and you have never visited that place?”. I have to confess that this comment makes me mad and don’t enjoy the moments he asks me this. But in some ways he reminds me that yes, maybe I’m missing something. The power of new discoveries is going to disappear from my life if I never make an effort to go after those new places. So today I ask you, I don’t care if I bother you, “You’ve been living in x place for all those years and never been to ______________”?

 What is opinion about this topic?