I agree that a lot of entrepreneurship is misguided. And I totally agree that research, charity work, or other stuff can have many of the same benefits. What I

I agree that a lot of entrepreneurship is misguided. And I totally agree that research, charity work, or other stuff can have many of the same benefits. What I think is important (and why I think entrepreneurship is directionally good) is open-ended exploration and taking initiative to pursue one's own projects. I don't care about the specific direction, but about the idea of proactively trying to shape reality by following one's interests. I think what you're describing with backpacking is true for most. If the point is to check off a list of Instagram picture spots, then it's more of an exercise in consumerism. If it's to deeply engage with other cultures, languages, and people, that's different. I guess it's similar with entrepreneurship. If the point is to inhabit the founder personality archetype you see on social media, that's different than to be genuinely solving interesting problems.