Who Knows More: The One Who Reads or the One Who Travels?

She was sitting by the window, staring blankly at the falling snow. Despite her warm home, the blanket wrapped around her, and the hot tea in her hands, she couldn’t feel the warmth. It was as if the snow wasn’t falling outside—but inside her. The questions in her mind had frozen her whole being.

She muttered to herself: “I don’t get it. Truly. So many people have come and gone in this world. So many have lived and died. Hasn’t even one of them discovered the secret of life, the key to happiness? Didn’t anyone leave a message for those who came after them? Not even one piece of knowledge to lighten this burden?”

She had stopped sharing her troubles with others. Every time she talked to someone, every piece of advice she got started with “in my opinion.” And that drove Hatıra mad. Because sentences that start with “in my opinion” rarely led to real answers. What she wanted were truths—answers that were valid for everyone and everything. Universal truths that could be understood and applied by children and adults alike.

What is real? she cried out silently. What is the truth of this life, the truth of happiness? But all she had were questions—no answers.

She had been sitting like that for hours without even realizing it. Her phone rang, snapping her back to the present. It was her friend calling.

Her friend said, “Hatıra, you won’t believe this—I went to a seminar today, and you have to come with me tomorrow.”

Hatıra sighed, “Ugh, not again. Girl, I’ve attended more seminars and trainings than I can count. Look at me, I’m not young anymore. They say learning after forty is stealing from the grave. What could I possibly learn now? Don’t wear me out, I’m going to sleep.”

But her friend insisted, “No, Hatıra, listen—it’s not just theories. They’re teaching real-life experiences. Lessons and strategies people have actually lived and succeeded with. It’s about the truth of happiness, of life, of people—everything!”

Hatıra was stunned. Life had never responded to her questions this quickly. Just moments ago, she had been desperate for answers.

“Wait… did I hear that right?” she asked. “Real experiences? Truths people found while living their lives?”

Yes, there were people who had found the answers she was looking for. People who had sought out and discovered the truths of life—and shared them with others. Her eyes sparkled with hope on her still-frozen face. “Okay,” she said. “I’ll come with you.” She hung up, too curious to sleep that night.

And that 3-hour seminar? It flew by in what felt like minutes. When they stepped outside, everything was covered in snow—a single, flat blanket of white. Nothing else could be seen. Hatıra whispered to herself: “So, nothing is really as it seems—just like this snow. There’s so much underneath that we can’t see right now. Roads, plants, insects, homes… It’s not about just looking and hearing. It’s about truly seeing and listening.”

Then she smiled and said, “Ah, it smells like flowers.”

There wasn’t a single flower in sight.

But she could already sense the summer that would come after the snow.

Every night had its morning. Every winter had its summer.

But only for those whom life has tested—and who have tested themselves.

After all the knowledge she gained, her mind finally felt at peace. For the first time, she smiled at life with a sense of clarity. Her eyes fell on the back cover of a book she picked up after the seminar. It read:

“In this life, who knows more—the one who reads, or the one who travels?

Neither.

It is the one who wonders.

For since the beginning of mankind, the thing most wondered about… is truth.”

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                      Experiential Design Teachings and Decision-Making Themed Blog

Experiential Design Teachings aim to give purpose to a person's life.

To be happy and successful in life...

"Since the existence of humankind on Earth, the greatest friend and foe have never changed. The person in the mirror..." 

Yahya Hamurcu 

Who’s Who? The Art of Understanding People 
Mastery in Relationships 
The Psychology of Success
Mastery in Avoidance
Designer (Strategy Design)

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