Lens Shifting

What really keeps Americans from traveling outside of the United States? I think Matt's blog hit the mark on several topics that keep Americans home; opportunity, fear, cultural ignorance. I believe that time and money should have been in the list as well, maybe even at the top!
The United States has something for everyone. There are places from the west coast to the east coast that I would love to visit. It could take someone a lifetime of vacations to enjoy them all; The Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, Yellowstone National Park, NYC, Florida Keys...the list could go on and on. Vacation opportunities, without the need of a passport, are endless. I believe (especially since 9/11) people feel a comfort from staying within the states due to fears, or ignorance, of foreign cultures.
Fear is not something that plagues me, but I witness it often when I talk about traveling abroad. I love people! I love learning more everyday. I crave that, and I have always felt as though I was an open-minded individual. Unfortunately, the "cultural lens" I have been wearing are the same as most Americans, "time is money"  and possibly even that Americans are not liked in other countries. We are considered a fat, spoiled, or ungrateful society by other countries. I want to prove them wrong. I want to be an example of a "likeable" American. I know I would have never thought twice about jumping into the point of a business call, and I feel I would be guilty of assuming that all things done in business are to increase profit margin, not enjoyment of the work or building relationships. I feel I have missed it though. If I am to be an example I have to wear different cultural lens. Other countries that consider themselves rich because of the personal relationships built and their contentment in the works they have done probably achieve greater fulfillment of life as a whole than anyone of us who feel that "time is money". I hope to experience that type of fulfillment during my own career. I hope to remove the learned lens of my own culture and upgrade to a culturally diverse set of specks.