Wanderlust is a natural human trait. Perhaps it’s an innate drive to expand knowledge and understanding — tools which optimize man’s power to control and thrive in his environment. Travel changes us, expanding our thoughts and increasing our capacities to assess life, ourselves, and others — not only by experiencing new things, but also new people.

Each place, each person, each culture I experience changes me somehow. Transcending borders provides not only friendships, but learning opportunities. With each trip, I understand more, and analyze better. From “getting” subtle allusions in novels, films, and conversations, to knowing much more about the world and its interconnected history, and more clearly seeing the motivations and contextual differences in others’ words and behaviors. Such things have great value in life, improving relationships personal, political and professional.

In other words, human transcultural exchange increases EQ as well as IQ. So I hope it hasn’t become a one-way deal.

Things are out of balance somehow. We invited a friend from South America to visit us for a couple of weeks this summer. We were excitedly making plans. He’s an educated professional and a nationally recognized athlete, so we hoped to go hiking and share this area’s beautiful forest trails and breathtaking views. Maybe take a road trip to Walla Walla or Seattle.

Forget it. On Friday his simple tourist visa — for which apparently South Americans now need interviews and documentation — was denied. No, he has no criminal history or connections, nothing unordinary — just a regular, very nice and personable guy. Yes, he’s reputably employed and has family ties and other reasons to go back home. This was just a social visit, and he had a formal

invitation letter from us (with an attached copy of my passport as ID).

Yet after paying hundreds of dollars to apply, preparing all required documents, and missing a day of work to travel to the U.S. Consulate for his pre-scheduled interview, the staff denied his visa in less than two minutes, without even glancing at his paperwork. He’s not alone; such experiences are becoming more common for would-be, non-European visitors.

Yes, everyone needs to feel safe and the means to accomplish that are challenging. But has it somehow gotten a little extreme if people from neighboring countries can’t visit friends and families in the U.S.? We’re not talking permanent immigration or long-term students here; just temporary visitors — family, friends and tourists.

Business — which is increasingly international, thanks to the internet — and tourist visa policies now require “tougher scrutiny” for all but 38 of the world’s nearly 200 countries. Notably, the exempted 38 waiver-countries are nearly all European. If a responsible citizen with a spotless record can’t visit similarly responsible friends, that’s too much scrutiny.

Do we only want people “like us” to visit? How will that affect our friendships, understanding, knowledge, and ability to get along with others — both personally and on the shrinking world stage?

We need a better balance.

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Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network who hopes to open her home to her friends again one day. Contact her at Sholeh@cdapress.com.