I am in Marshall, Texas for business meetings over the next two days. Marshall is in the northeast corner of Texas, just across the Louisana line. I've never been here before and my trip today has reminded me of the provincial nature of most people's lives and perspectives.... starting with me.

Up until last Thursday, I had no idea where Marshall even was on the map. I'm an east coast guy, through and through, and my American travel experiences have pretty much been coastal, with the occasional stop in Chicago thrown in for good measure. I've been up and down the east and west coasts dozens of times. The speed at which I live my life, my interests, food tastes, the books I read, the sports I watch, the political beliefs that I hold, all in large part have been strongly influenced by where I live and the time I've spent on both coasts.

What was amazing to me, as I drove from Shreveport, Louisana, to Marshall today was the diversity of our country. People always talk about our diversity, but I guess it really hit to me today as I was driving. On a 40-minute trip, I saw ads for nine different restaurants specializing in catfish. The roads (straight as an arrow for miles after mile), the houses (mostly ranchers on huge plots of land), the restaurants (catfish and bbq seem to dominate), were all as different from Natick, Massachusetts, as you could imagine. As for the people I've talked to, let's just say that stereotype actually still fits... people in the south are flat out much nicer (and patient) that people up north. (And I can say that as someone born & bred in Baltimore, and as someone who has lived in New England for almost 20 years.)

While this may be cliché (here is where you should cue the Star-Spangled Banner music), I found myself truly appreciating the diversity of our country. Because while there may be some superficial differences, underneath it all, we're all bound by a certain core set of beliefs around freedom, people's individual rights, and even one vote for one person. It's what makes America great that we can have such geographic-driven cultural differences, yet one macro American culture that ties all together.

This cultural paradox, if you want to call it that, is likely what makes running for US President so difficult. If you're Barack Obama, or Mitt Romney, or Sarah Palin, or Hillary Clinton, how do you appeal to folks from New York City, Los Angeles, and Marshall, Texas without becoming some bland candidate who spouts platitudes about how great it is to be American? (Kind of like this blogpost?) Our core beliefs unify us, but our local preferences and lifestyles are dictated by local geography and local customs that in many cases are intertwined.

Personally, this is why I love to travel. It gets me out of my comfort zone and reminds that there are lot of different people in this world, and a lot of different ways to get to “end of job.” Just because I've done something one way does not mean it's the only way or the right way. It's easy to fall into that trap though when you stay in one location and fall into your comfortable routine. Innovation and new ideas come from “comfortable discomfort,” when you are able to see something familiar in a new light or when you are forced to realize that your perspective isn't necessarily the only one.