To take a much larger perspective on ElephantsWorld and all that it stands for as a social infrastructure is quite fascinating the most identifying point of ElephantsWorld is that it is a Social Hub to the global community. To study it beyond an elephant sanctuary proves how influential and educational it was to visit and learn from the culture.
The vast differences among societies around the world are overwhelming when one strictly looks at facts and the do’s and do not’s (rules) that plague any culture. Daunting and uncertain many choose to remain in the safety of their own culture; others, however, believe that seeing the world is a part of living. The latter group is not of one specific region of the world, but the entire group is drawn to the idea of adventure and of experiencing “wonder”. Culture does not instill in us the desire to explore or go beyond our levels of comfort; it is far more the instinct of the human that drives these emotions. I believe it is not the wonder of the place that appeals to us but the wonder of the humans inhabiting that place. The various mechanisms of life around the world intrigue humans and draw them together to experience the ways of life. Enter the only way to bring hundreds of cultures and people together, a social hub.
ElephantsWorld like any other social hub acts as a central location for the global community that is interested in helping animals, specifically elephants. Proof of its centralized gathering capabilities come through when one observes where everyone who is participating at ElephantsWorld is coming from. The volunteers were from all around the world as were the visitors. I was able to talk with a few of the volunteers to hear their story and why they were at ElephantsWorld. One girl, Becki was from England just 30 miles south of London. She graduated close to six years ago and came to ElephantsWorld to finish off a time of travel, close to seven months. She had been working for five months in Singapore for her job involving video and documentary and then had a bit of time traveling around to Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. She had come to ElephantsWorld as a visitor but enjoyed it so much that she decided to extend her stay and work as a volunteer for a full four weeks (Becki, personal communication, May 23, 2016). Another volunteer was Andy, she is from Pennsylvania and just recently graduated from college with an environmental science degree. This was her second time at ElephantsWorld as a volunteer and she was planning to stay for four weeks, leave for four weeks then return for another four weeks to continue volunteering. She discovered ElephantsWorld after studying abroad in Bangkok her junior year. She told me that in September she will hear back from the Peace Corp; she is hoping to go to either Panama or Ethiopia (Andy, personal communication, May 25, 2016).
The perspective of life Becki and Andy brought and shared was quite knowledgeable. Travel to them was very important for growth and allowing one to experience different cultures and ways of life. They also loved to identify all of the ways ElephantsWorld had impacted them, with knowledge about elephants to how to live a very different lifestyle they helped us to adjust and enjoy every moment of the trip beyond just the elephants but with the people as well. This form of social interaction would not have happened without the centralized location of such a diverse global community. ElephantsWorld allows for people from all over the world who have a common desire to travel and help come together and experience each other’s company and culture.
With such a diverse social atmosphere it is essential that we keep our minds open to new ideas from cultures everywhere. More often than not it is a common routine that we fall into that sets us back in our ability to grow as people. To learn from one another in work mentalities or ways of life has become so difficult as a result of the narrow-minded lifestyle we live. Only through global social hubs are we able to truly expand our knowledge about the world and experience people as they normally live. Through organizations like ElephantsWorld, we as a global community are able to come together and learn far more than would be possible if we remained in our normal homogeneous domain without any knowledge of cultures beyond our own. No one culture is better than another, each has their weak points but it is only through understanding and cooperation that the global community will advance as a whole.
