Why Experiences Make Us Richer
Let’s say you really love truffles. What would be more significant to you: Buying a single truffle or hunting for truffles yourself ? You’d probably choose the latter in a heartbeat.
We may be neck-deep in an era of consumerism and immediate material gratification, but research has proven time and again that experiences bring us greater joy than material possessions ever could. Most notably, after a series of studies done over 20 years, Cornell University’s Professor Thomas Gilovich came to the conclusion that happiness is derived from experiences, not things. Besides bringing us joy while they’re happening, experiences continue to enrich our lives long after they end, shaping our future and our selves for the better.
I believe that experiences have the power to change the way we think, feel, and live on many levels. Here’s some personal insight from some of the most impactful experiences I’ve had.
Experiences level up your knowledge
In 2018, my husband and I got the chance to tour Hawaii’s Volcanoes National Park. Setting off from Hilo Island, we trekked through Nahaku (also known as the Thurston Lava Tube), a 500-year-old cave carved by rivers of now-hardened lava.
We explored lava fields, vast expanses blackened by fluid lava-flows that have since (thankfully) solidified, then the native tropical rainforests that thrive amongst these volatile environs. In fact, Hawaii’s rainforests boast a great diversity of plant and animal species — 90% of the latter exists nowhere else in the world.
The trip culminated with a helicopter ride over Mount Kilaeuea, the most active of the five volcanoes that form Hawaii. Looking down from above, I got a bird’s-eye view of the gigantic crater of molten lava bubbling and gurgling. Little did I know then, the volcano would erupt a few days later, destroying homes, lives and infrastructure.
You can learn a lot about the devastating beauty of volcanoes through books and articles online, but nothing beats experiencing it first-hand. Through my experience, I got to link the destructive nature of volcanoes I’ve read about, to the beauty I saw and the new life volcanoes also create. Learning goes beyond formal education in school. Experiences also offer many learnable moments that help us gain new and invaluable knowledge about our world.
Experiences empower you to play a part
While on a rest-and-recharge at COMO Maalifushi in the Maldives, I noticed that the shallow, clear-blue seas surrounding the resort were dotted with cage-like metal structures. Curious, I did some research and found that they were actually coral frames, planted to encourage the regrowth of the island’s coral reefs.
The reoccurrence of the El Niño phenomenon — an unusual climate pattern that warms up surface waters in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean — in 1998 and 2016 had bleached a large number of coral reefs surrounding the area.
To help the reefs flourish again, COMO Maalifushi teamed up with Seamarc, a Maldivian environmental consultancy, to plant new coral frames on the seafloor. Guests at the resort can sign up to be a part of the their coral propagation initiatives by sponsoring one or more of these frames.
Eager to support these efforts, I signed up. With the guidance of the then-resident Marine Biologist Lisa D’Silva, I built my own coral frame and snorkled into the water to plant it on the seafloor.
With the increasingly fast pace of 21st-century living, we often get caught up in our stress from the daily hustle and bustle that it’s easy to be apathetic about everything else happening around the world.
Experiences like the coral propagation initiative at COMO Maalifushi gives us the opportunity to learn and act on something greater than ourselves, be it for the planet or society.
DO THIS | Help regrow the coral reefs of the Maldives with COMO Maalifushi. Learn more about COMO’s coral propagation programme here.
STAY HERE | With a guestbook that boasts Prince William and Kate Middleton, Chevel Blanc is the place to be for a luxurious above-water stay fit for royalty. Live like royalty here.
Experiences inspire us to be more appreciative
The adage, “stop and smell the roses” does not sit well in ultra-busy 21st-century lives. That’s where experiences come and allow us to take a step back, breathe and appreciate what we’ve taken for granted.
Take, for example, tea. Did you know that 55,000 tips from the Camellia sinensis plant go into just 1 kg of precious white tea? Or that tea plantations hire female tea pickers due to the dexterity of their fingers?
I got the chance to learn this and more during a trip to Sri Lanka, where I stayed at Ceylon Tea Trails, situated within Dilmah tea plantation. There, I was steeped (pun intended) into the storied history of tea, how it’s made and distributed, and the specific tea culture of Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka’s tea industry was first birthed in 1867 when Briton James Taylor established the country’s first tea plantation.
Since then, Sri Lanka’s tea industry has flourished and the country is now one of the largest producers of tea in the world. It was even the official supplier of tea for global events, including the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympic Games, the 1982 Commonwealth Games and the 1987 Expo 88 in Australia.
Although technology has advanced since the 1800s, much of the tea-making process is still done by hand by native Sri Lankans.
First, tea leaves are delicately plucked by skilled female pickers before they are withered on a large tray. The dried leaves are then rolled, bruised and torn to unlock the taste profile of the tea, and aerated to release its tannins, which determines the tea’s bitterness.
Finally, the tea is dried again to halt further chemical changes, before it is bagged and boxed up for our easy consumption.
We don’t tend to think too deeply about things as commonplace as tea, coffee, t-shirts, and more, in our everyday lives. Experiences allow us to dive deep into things we take for granted, and appreciate the craftsmanship, time, culture and people behind their creation.
STAY HERE & DO THIS | Take a step back in time with a stay in the historic luxury bungalows at Ceylon Tea Trails, before taking a peek into tea-production at the lush tea fields and tea estates within the property. Steep in tea culture here.
Want to enrich your life with a transformative experience yourself? Reach out to us at hello@rachelstrudwick.com for an experience tailor-made for you.