Better do a good deed near home than go far away to burn incense...Amelia Earhart.....What does she mean?

Question

How do you take this. I am not sure.

Answer 1

I interpret it as meaning that actions are more important than abstractions.

More specifically, both your soul and society benefit more from  the practical application of religious beliefs and good intentions than from symbolic gestures.

"go far away to burn incense" is a reference to a religious pilgrimage

For example, you would accumulate more good karma by building a well for the people in your village than from undertaking a trip to bathe in the Ganges river.

Or, spiritual devotion is better expressed by feeding the hungry than having an audience with the Pope.

Answer 2

are you on something Amelia Earhart was a famous female flyer who disappeared over the pacific