Abraham Lincoln never went overseas yet accomplished a fair amount. Maybe flying isn’t that necessary.
People act as if flying is necessary for life. I sometimes list people who have never flown. Here’s a short list from a recent presentation I created:
- Marco Polo
- Lincoln
- Aristotle
- Jesus
- Paul
- Buddha
- Laozi
- Mohammad
- Mozart
- Shakespeare
Maybe it’s just me, but they seem like people who accomplished meaningful things.
I was curious about Lincoln: had he traveled overseas? I knew Jefferson, Franklin, and other Founding Fathers had spent time in Europe, meaning sailing across the Atlantic multiple times.
I looked up Lincoln and learned his only time outside the US was to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls and the country was smaller then.
Since people who fly today don’t look like they’ll make the history books as much as Lincoln, I conclude flying and traveling are more affectations and addictions than necessary for a good life.
We’re so dependent we don’t even realize it.

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