Where We Stand
Editor’s note: This is written from my current vantage point
Welcome kind hearts and curious souls to The Places That Make Us, this month’s reflection series exploring the quiet ways place shapes our lives. Throughout July, we’ll consider how our surroundings influence our perspective, our sense of belonging, and the person we’re becoming, from the places we call home to the paths we walk, the viewpoints we hold, and the experiences that leave a lasting imprint. Together, these reflections invite us to look beyond geography and consider the relationship between where we are and how we see the world. Today, we begin with Where We Stand, exploring how geography is more than maps and locations, and how it offers a starting point for understanding the perspectives we carry and the ways place quietly shapes who we are.
When we hear the word geography, most of us picture maps, borders, mountain ranges, or names of the places we’ve memorized. We think about where something is located, what it borders, or how it fits within the larger world. And while those are certainly aspects of geography, they only tell part of the story. Over time, I came to realize that geography isn’t just about the physical world around us, it also offers a way of understanding ourselves from the places where we grow up, the communities we’re a part of, the landscapes we move through, and the cultures that shape us all leave their mark. Geography, then, becomes more than knowing where we are on a map, it’s about understanding our relationship to the places that have quietly influenced who we are and how we see the world.
So if geography helps us understand our relationship to place, then it also helps us understand how place shapes perspective. For instance, no matter where you grew up, whether it was in Turkey, Korea, New Zealand, the United States, or anywhere else in the world, that place becomes part of your story. This is also true for the places you move to, travel through, or return to. In each one, we not only leave behind a piece of ourselves but we also evolve as a result whether that’s having a new experience, a conversation, facing a challenge, experiencing a tradition, or a new way of seeing the world. Over time, these moments quietly shape how we think, what we value, and how we relate to others. In many ways, every place we encounter becomes another piece of who we are.
One of the most meaningful examples of this has been the 2026 FIFA World Cup. As millions of visitors traveled to North America, they didn’t just come to watch Soccer (fútbol), they brought pieces of their own cultures and traditions with them. These included: Norwegian supporters leading the Viking row, to Dutch fans filling the streets with oranje shirts, synchronized chants and celebrations, to Scottish bagpipes echoing before matches, to Japanese supporters staying behind to clean the stadiums after the final whistle. While at the same time, the visitors experienced uniquely North America traditions, from local hospitality and regional food to patriotic flyovers and the atmosphere surrounding the tournament. What stood out the most wasn’t that our cultures were different, it was how naturally people came together through a shared love of the game and overall experience. For a few weeks, strangers became neighbors, traditions were exchanged, and countless people returned home carrying new memories and a deeper appreciation for cultures well beyond their own.
In a similar sense, the same idea can be found much closer to home between a bustling city and a quiet rural town. Each with their own rhythms, customs, expressions, and ways of connecting. Neither is wrong or better than the other, they simply reflect different histories, environments, and experiences. What feels ordinary in one place may feel completely unfamiliar in another, and that’s part of what makes geography so fascinating. It reminds us that our perspective is always shaped by where we’ve been.
By recognizing these differences and how they don’t divide us, it helps us understand one another more deeply. After all, beneath our languages, traditions, accents, and daily routines, we all share the same desire to connect, belong, and build meaningful lives. Geography teaches us that no perspective is completely objective because every perspective begins somewhere. The more we understand the places that have shaped ourselves and others, the more room we create for curiosity, empathy, and appreciation.
When we begin to recognize that every perspective is shaped by place, another lesson naturally follows, which is that geography teaches humility. The more we learn about other places, whether through travel, conversation, or simply taking time to understand a different region, the more we realize there isn’t just one “right” way to live.
Every community develops its own traditions, routines, and ways of solving life’s challenges. Instead of making one way better than the other, geography reminds us that there are many ways to build a meaningful life. Some value connection and meaning, while others value travel and experiences. Some live modestly and some live lavishly. Some live in the city surrounded by noise and some live in the country in silence.
Now while I haven’t had the opportunity to travel outside the United States yet, exploring different parts of the U.S. has taught me this: No matter where I’ve gone, I’ve found people pursuing many of the same things I do from meaningful relationships, fulfilling work, personal dreams to moments of joy. And what differs isn’t our humanity, it’s how our environments, cultures, traditions, and experiences shape the paths we take to get there.
Oftentimes, understanding a place doesn’t come from its skyline or scenery. Rather, it comes from noticing the ordinary parts of daily life that often aren’t spoken about. For instance, one of my earliest memories in Texas was when I discovered geckos. Yes, actual lizard geckos casually finding their way into homes, climbing walls, and appearing outdoors as if it were completely normal. But having grown up in Illinois that was something I never encountered. Instead, our unexpected house guests were more likely to be spiders or the occasional mouse. Even the oudoors tell a different story. In parts of Texas, people are mindful of venomous snakes, scorpions, and feral hogs, while Illinois brings its own realities of deer, coyotes, and bears. After experiencing those differences, it reminded me that every place asks something different of the people who live there. Over time, communities quickly adapt to their surroundings, and those adaptions quietly become part of their everyday lives, traditions, and ways of seeing the world.
While these experiences may seem ordinary on their own, together they reveal something much larger. The more we encounter different ways of living, the harder it becomes to assume our own experiences are universal. Geography doesn’t just introduce us to new places, it reminds us that our perspective is only one of many. And perhaps that’s one of its greatest lessons: humility begins when we realize the world is far bigger, richer, and more diverse than our own corner of it.
Perhaps that’s why the most profound impact of geography isn’t always found on a map. Long after we’ve left a destination, parts of it remain with us, continuing to shape how we think, what we remember, and where we feel we belong.
Thus, geography extends beyond landscapes and physical locations, it also lives within us. As some places become part of our mental geography, influencing the way we see ourselves, other people, and the world around us, others become a part of our emotional geography. Woven into memories, familiar streets, favorite parks, and the feelings that those places continue to evoke long after we’ve left them. Then, there’s our social geography. The communities that welcomed us, the relationships that shaped us, and the places where we discovered connection, belonging, and shared experiences. Together, these unseen landscapes remind us that geography isn’t simply about where we are, it’s also about the places that continue to live within us.
Therefore, when we begin to see geography as something we carry rather than simply somewhere we go, it has a way of turning our attention inward. The places that have shaped us become more than destinations or memories, they become reflections of who we’ve been, who we’re becoming, and the experiences that continue to influence us.
In many ways, geography becomes a mirror. It invites us to ask where we’ve felt most like ourselves, which places have helped us grow, and which ones quietly challenged assumptions we didn’t even realize we were carrying.
For me, I’ve felt most like myself when I was pursuing the life I wanted to build. Such as, when I was attending school out of state, living on my own, and embracing the uncertainty that came with starting over somewhere new. Those experiences gave me the opportunity to explore unfamiliar places, meet people from different backgrounds, recognize unexpected similarities, and appreciate the differences that make each community unique. Looking back, it wasn’t simply the location that shaped me, it was who I was becoming while I was there.
Meanwhile, the places that challenged me the most, however, weren’t defined by their geography alone. They challenged me emotionally, mentally, and socially. What I hadn’t considered upon moving to a new place was how that place could one day feel like home and by leaving I would feel like I lost a part of myself behind. After spending a year or two in Texas, building friendships, creating routines, and establishing a life of my own, returning to Illinois wasn’t as simple as going back home. Home had expanded. Some of the people who mattered most to me remained in Texas, while others were in Illinois. What had once been an unfamiliar place had quietly become part of my identity. It taught me that the hardest part of moving isn’t adapting to somewhere new, it’s realizing that your heart has found a home in more than one place.
Which leaves us with this: Geography doesn’t simply help us understand the world, it helps us better understand ourselves. In other words, once we begin to recognize the ways places have shaped our lives, we naturally become more curious about the places that have shaped everyone else’s.
So, as you reflect on your own journey, consider the places that have quietly influenced the person you’ve become. What places have shaped the way you think? Which ones have challenged your perspective? Where have you felt most like yourself? And what places still feel like a part of you, even after you’ve left them?
Because maybe, just maybe, geography was never just about memorizing maps of locating places after all. Maybe it has always been about understanding the relationship between people and place, how every hometown, every move, every journey, and every unexpected stop leaves something behind. All in all, geography didn’t teach me where things are, it taught me that where we are shapes how we see, how we connect, and who we become.
Thank you for reading today’s reflection. I hope you have a beautiful and joyful week filled with love and light. And I hope you’ll join me again on Monday, July 13th, as we continue The Places That Make Us with the next chapter, The Walking Mind, where we’ll explore how the simple act of walking can become a practice of presence, perspective, and paying closer attention to the world around us.
As a signature of my blog, I’d like to end this post with a suggestion to “Pass on kindness.” There’s no time like the present to Inspire Those Who Inspire You. Acts of kindness, no matter how big or small, can have a direct, positive impact on someone else. Go out there today and change someone’s life for the better!
***These are my personal opinions and may not be those of my employer.***
