Self-Reliance

Emerson states that "Traveling is a fool's paradise." in his famous essay "Self-Reliance". This is what I think he means: if your life is troubled in your hometown, you cannot expect your troubles to disappear if you travel far away. It's the same thing for all kinds of different situations. A kid who doesn't like their school can't escape from their problems if they transfer schools. The reason is that wherever you go, your soul goes with you. No matter how much you ignore the past, it is still on your mind in some form or another. It is still part of you and it will manifest itself again in your supposed "new" life. I believe that certain parts of Emerson's beliefs on this topic to be true. I don't believe it in quite as much of an extreme. I believe that that kid could be happier at their new school and that it does function as sort of an escape. However, I do agree that one can never completely leave the past behind.
I can think of many examples of this from my life experience and movies. I don't recall the exact title of the movie, but I know that it was a cheesy chick flick with Hilary Duff. Anyway, in this movie, Hilary Duff's mom was a single woman who forced her family to move every year or so because she was running away from all her failed relationships. By doing this, she was constantly trying to escape from her mistakes. The problem, however, was not within the problems of each particular geographical location, but in her taste in guys. She was always dating the same type of guy that her daughter did not approve of. Taste in guys is part of your personality, which is not as easily changed as your town of residence.
Another example I can think of is from my life experience. Two summers ago, I had this really big crush on this guy from my life in San Diego. It wasn't working out so well, and therefore it wasn't the happiest time. I told myself that I would forget about him for a week at camp. I thought that camp could function as a sort of escape. As Emerson predicted, however, I couldn't completely leave it behind. My traveling just numbed the past, but did not erase it.
I believe that traveling enhances everyone's experience of life. When we travel different places, we learn about ourselves by observing similarities and differences of other cultures to our own. This way we can pick and choose what qualities we want in ourselves. However, I agree with Emerson in that it is impossible to leave yourself behind when you travel. Everywhere you go, you carry yourself with you. I believe that your soul grows and changes more and more, combining the past and the present of what you experience.