Is it better to travel alone?
Adventures in uncharted territories
Are we ever lonely?
I’ve been travelling lately, and one thing that surprises me is people’s reactions when I answer their favorite question – who are you travelling with?
Well, I’m travelling by myself. What? In a country you’ve never been in? In a continent so far away from your home? Why?
Well, why not? We both laugh.
The ways of the world are compelling. You look around, you see people behaving in a certain way – and out of nowhere, you feel the urge to do the same.
What we call normal, and what feels familiar, is what makes up the boundaries of our perception.
These boundaries however are more emotionally based. Rarely reasonable. Think about the lengths we’d go to to destroy a person we used to say “I love you” to because we’ve been hurt/betrayed as an example.
Such actions undress and expose the nature of our “love.” And because it doesn’t make much sense. We say hate is the opposite of love. Really? Where’s the thoughtfulness?
We are more irrational than we think.
But do we question those ways? In most cases, it’s too much brainwork. We’re tired for this. Let’s just eat, relax, and keep on keeping on.
Is this a wrong way to live? Absolutely not sir/madam. In fact, it’s a kind of life I would’ve enjoyed if my brain wasn’t as restless as a puppy.
What’s not so right however is the fact that we want to enjoy this kind of life – minus its consequences. And consequences, there are many. What’s happening in the world today says enough.
Coming back to the subject.
I’m writing this piece especially for some people. Those people who have different views about things. Those people who feel in their heart that there is a different way to live.
For those people, who despite feeling this way, fell for the ways of the world. Is it their fault? Not at all. The gravitational force is strong here. You need to be quite determined to think for yourself.
Everyday we walk around and see people. Those people look normal/healthy. But if you start a conversation with them, it quickly becomes clear that they’re hurt. They carry different wounds. That they’re human beings like yourself.
We’re all burdened with hopes and struggles.
Because different beliefs have been put in us right from childhood – we have a rigid conception of life. Quelques exemples. We should travel in group or with a lover. Being single is sad. Enjoying your own company is weird. Spending time alone is boring. Ainsi de suite.
For those who are engaged in relationships, raising kids, and working till their bodies break apart – the dream is to get a break. And sure enough, they get it sooner than they imagined.
Because of those deeper beliefs, we are anxious and uneasy at the surface. If our life doesn’t mirror what people told us it should look like. We feel miserable.
Look love, you make your life seem dreadful. A hard pill to swallow? More like a bitter belief to vomit.
[I’m freestyling a bit on this piece.]
As long as we stick to what we’ve been told. And blindly believe in it…
[See, it’s not a matter of what’s right or wrong. And more a matter of understanding what is in our mind. That’s it. Understanding does its own magic.]
…The result is a life that doesn’t make sense. One to which we conform because our energy has been extinguished by our occupations. Plus, everyone’s in the same boat. Why bother?
Well, if we’re comfortable sitting on nails. Then it’s settled. But are we? Not really. We complain too much!
I’ll leave you on this note.
Take this piece as a healthy snack for the mind. It’s purposeless by the way.
If you’d like to stay updated with my “work,” you can subscribe to my newsletter here. Don’t expect much from me though. I enjoy the freedom to create.
Peace out.
