Pico Iyer's "Nowhere Guy" and the Phenomenon of Transit Loungers
Pico Iyer writes in his essay 'Nowhere Guy' about a new depersonalized generation he refers to as "transit loungers." Iyer presents himself as an example of this group. He identifies transit loungers as people who spend a large portion of their time traveling around the globe without forming both physical and emotional links to any specific geographic area (Iyer).
Advantages and Disadvantages of Being a Transit Lounger
Iyer considers himself to be a member of the young generation who goes to every part of the world and feels at ease (Maria). By using his personal experiences, Iyer tries to explain the pros and cons of the modern globalized general that travels to different parts of the world and make it a home (Venugopalan 7).
Iyer's Personal experiences as a Transit Lounger
Pico Iyer begins his piece by explaining how he started traveling around the world at a tender age (Iyer 4). By the time he was nine, he was already used to the international travels through his trips from his home in California to his school in England.\nIyer explains the characteristics of the transit loungers as a new phenomenon which would have been considered imaginary in the youthful age of his parents. He says that transit loungers, to which he belongs, is a group of the new generation that is growing at a faster rate and never existed during his parents’ youth. The article explains the advantages of being a transit lounger. Iyer says individuals who travel get a chance of seeing many things in different parts of the world as well as meeting new individuals. The life of the transit loungers is also full of fun and excitement (Maria). However, Iyer also identifies the cons of being a transit lounger. He outlines some disadvantages such as lacking a place to call home, separation from relatives and the national, lack of participation in the national activities and getting confused about nations (Venugopalan 13). In the end, Iyer claims that leading a transit lounger’s life leads to circling of life.
Discussion: The Issue of Globalization in the Current World
The main idea that Iyer brings out is how the modern society is utilizing the power of globalization to minimize the world into a village. He explains how the contemporary society is using the improved means of transport and communication to connect with the rest of the world without limitations (Venugopalan 16). Also, people can have partners from any part of the world without the need to worry about the geographic distance that separates. The other ideas talk about the cons and pros of this phenomenon (Maria). By relating Iyer’s message with what is happening in the current world, I strongly agree with his ideas.
The Power of Globalization and Travel
We are living in the world where the means of transport and communication are more advanced compared to the past years. Therefore, the process of traveling from one part of the world takes a short time (Iyer). It is now possible to connect with people from other continents. Iyer brings out this point when he talks of he recalls his early traveling expertise. Due to the developed means of transport, he was already used to travel by plan at the age of nine years. He says, “By the time I was nine, I was already used to going to school by transatlantic plane, to sleeping in airports, to shuttling back and forth…” (Iyer, 1). This statement indicates how the modern transport has contributed to people’s ability to travel to different parts of the world without any limitations. It is also one of the significant factors that have contributed to the emergence and growth of globalization.
The Lack of a Permanent Home in Globalization
The point of having no single place to call home is a modern day affair. Iyer explains that the habits of being transit loungers never existed in his parents’ youth. “It was only recently that I realized that all these habits of mind and life would scarcely have been imaginable in my parents’ youth.” (Iyer 2). I support his statement because the emergence and growth of globalization is something that happened in recent years. The current generation is reaping from this phenomenon as opposed to the older generation. During the previous days, people hardly traveled out of their hometowns (Maria). There were no advanced means of transport as what we have today. Therefore, Iyer’s point on the modernity of the transit loungers is right.
The Benefits and Disadvantages of Traveling in the Modern World
In his work, Iyer tries to explain the benefits of being a constant traveler. The benefits that he points out are evident in the current days. We are having different people traveling to other countries as tourists, state visitors, for relationships, and for business reasons. While people move freely around the world, various benefits emerge. The existence of globalization has opened up the whole world for relationships, adventures, and trade. Iyer agrees that this idea is turning the world “increasingly small and increasingly mongrel.” (Iyer 4). Therefore, as globalization grows, the world continues to ‘shrink.’ People can reach other continents easily. Also, it is possible to conduct business from any part of the world. “My office is as close as the nearest fax machine or modem” (Iyer 4). Being a transit lounger also has the benefit of encouraging independence. As people tour the world, they encounter strangers with no close relatives. Travelers don’t have a permanent place that they call home hence they must learn to be independent (Iyer). Also, the transit loungers lack emotional attachment to any place or person. Their independence makes them free people with the freedom to enjoy the benefits of any country. Iyer says that he can enjoy the benefits of the country without paying taxes (Iyer 8). These are some of the benefits enjoyed by most of the tourist in different countries. Preferential treatment is open to these people.However, just as started by Iyer, the idea of traveling around the world with easy comes with disadvantages. Globalization enables people to move freely and regularly and end up forgetting their homeland (Maria). Iyer says that these individuals do not have opinions, lack attachment to their countries, and lack emotions. People who enjoy the benefits of globalization become strangers in their nations.
Conclusion
The main idea that Pico Iyer brings out in his article is the idea of globalization. Iyer primarily focuses on how globalization has contributed to the free movement of people with ease across the globe. As a result, many people have been able to learn more about the world. They have been able to acquire more ideas that may not be available in their homeland. Therefore, I agree with his points that with the current rate of globalization, people are traveling quickly and efficiently to different parts of the world for various purposes. It is also true to say that this idea comes with both advantages and disadvantages. Globalization has opened people to numerous benefits from ideas and services that are not available in home countries. However, it has also made people forget their homelands as they spend more time in foreign regions.
Work Cited
Iyer, Pico. “Nowhere man: Confessions of a perpetual foreigner.” Utne Reader May-June (1997).
Iyer, Pico. The art of stillness: Adventures in going nowhere. Simon and Schuster, 2014.
Iyer, Pico. The nowhere man. Prospect Magazine, Feb. 1997, https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/thenowhereman. Accessed 26 Oct. 2016.
Maria, Parova. Pico Iyer on What Leonard Cohen Teaches Us about Presence and the Art of Stillness. Brain Picking, 2014, https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/11/10/pico-iyer-the-art-of-stillness/. Accessed 26 Oct. 2016.
Venugopalan, P. “Travel transition and transnationality in pico iyer s writings.” (2013).
