The Genuinely Interested Podcast Ep 63 - Peter Santenello - The Unseen World
Peter has one of the most interesting Youtube channels I've ever come across. He travels to countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, and other nations that are not exactly high up on anyone's summer or winter vacation lists. He goes to these places, not with a biased agenda, but with an open mind and a willingness to listen and connect to people (without the politics). For the most part, he has had nothing but positive and humbling experiences, memorable human connections, and insights into communities that very few foreigners will ever get.
Peter wants to make videos showing people the world that the media fails to show you, the human side. We tend to make blanket assessments - this country is X, and the people that inhabit it incapsulate all of the bad or the good that that country represents. The reality however is that humans are extremely nuanced, and layered, and not as binary as good or bad. Peter's courage and belief in the good of man is inspiring. He was recently invited to the insular community of the Hasids in New York, which is notoriously difficult to get into. The story he was able to capture there, by just listening, is better (and probably more accurate) than most media outlets’ reports.
Peter and I discussed:
- Why he moved to Ukraine
- How this travel idea started for him
- Has he been in dangerous situations?
- Why he fears the loss of free speech in the US
- His journey through Saudi Arabia
- Why alternative media is thriving
- What surprises him the most when traveling
- Why he was called a nazi
And much, much more.
Peter Santanello
My Take: The best education comes with travel. When you experience other cultures, other foods, other ways of doing things - it opens your mind to the endless possibilities that exist within humans and human consciousness. When we set aside politics, religion, and biases, and we open ourselves to connections through authenticity and curiosity, the world is our oyster.
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