When I was a kid, my family had an informal Sunday tradition. We would watch The Wonderful World of Disney on CBC and then Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock. 

Originally filmed and produced in Toronto, Fraggle Rock tells the tales of the Muppet society of Fraggles that live deep underground in a magical cave along with Doozers, Gorgs, and Trash Heaps. Fraggles love to sing, play, and enjoy each other's company. The lead character of the show is a young Fraggle named Gobo. Gobo is known for his curiosity and bravery, traits he inherited from his uncle, the famed Fraggle explorer Travelling Matt. Around the first episode, Travelling Matt shared with his nephew that he wanted to travel beyond the deep confines of Fraggle Rock.

"Gobo, I am finished exploring here, and I am ready to explore there."

With that, he stepped through the cave’s exit and into the world of humans. Uncle Matt called our world "Outer Space" and promised to send Gobo a weekly postcard in which he would recount his adventures. Almost every episode of Fraggle Rock featured a sequence in which Gobo would retrieve a weekly postcard and read his uncle's tales narrated by Uncle Matt for the television audience. 

I loved the comedy of those sketches. While Matt appeared brave and wise as he narrated his own story, the viewer got to see the actual story. While he maintained an open mind throughout his travels, he continually misinterpreted what he would see and experience. For example, he might see a fountain in a park and reveal to Gobo that he discovered an artifact that people would throw money in for safekeeping. The viewer had a greater perspective and got to chuckle at Matt's expense. His innocent but bizarre interpretations, contrasted against reality, were hilarious. The famed explorer of Fraggle Rock was inept, clumsy, and often ill-informed. And yet he continued his hopeful exploration with a cheerful and expectant heart.

All these years later, I can still sing the song that he would sing on his adventures. 

"Every day the world begins again

Sunny skies or rain

Come and follow me

Every sunlight shows me more and more

So much to explore

Come and follow me

Every mornin'

Every day

Every evenin'

Calling me away…”

Uncle Matt always wanted to provide Gobo with a little insight into what lay ahead down the road. That's the life of an explorer. God has created a vast universe full of awe and mystery. Our journeys take us into the unknown, where we encounter new people, diverse cultures, and beautiful new landscapes. But most of us understand that these experiences are only new...for us. What appears novel to us may be very normal for someone else.  It's inevitable that while journeying forward in life, sometimes we get it right, and sometimes we get it wrong. Even then, there’s a feeling of empowerment that comes with learning and experiencing something new.

But what does knowledge like this do to a person? I care about what a person believes and what they know, but I am much more interested in how that knowledge changes them. What I really love about Matt is that he never let his travels give him a sense of superiority over his fellow Fraggles. It’s easy to become a snob and look down on those who may seem overly simplistic in their understanding of the world. Becoming an arrogant jerk is also foolish because, like Matt, even though we travel, we still get it wrong.

Here is the challenge. If you’re lucky enough to learn, travel, and explore, remember that for many, even thinking about traveling is a privilege. Use your experience and knowledge to serve.

“…We know that ‘We all possess knowledge.’ But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. 2 Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know.” 1 Corinthians 8 1-2

This passage of scripture contains deep and ancient wisdom about the tension of being a part of a culture and learning beyond it simultaneously. It’s a call to celebrate your journey while accepting that not everyone has or will follow in your footsteps.

If your personal, professional, and spiritual journey is helping you become a more humble person, you’re traveling well. If you find yourself building your own brand by endlessly critiquing and “yelping” against your own culture, you might be impeding your own progress. The best way to critique is to build something new and beautiful while maintaining a foundation of love. Another way to look at it is this: you may no longer want to invest your energy into old ways of doing things, but you also don’t have to spend your limited energy destroying those old ways.

Uncle Matt traveled well. His success inspired his nephew Gobo to be brave, inquisitive, and a better leader.

I try to do the same and I hope you will as well.

Friend, thanks for reading.