Date: 2019-06-22
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One question I hear constantly on this hike (especially now that I'm in my 30s) is how I found time to take months off from 'life' and have the freedom to attempt something like this. The answer is because I choose to.If quitting your job, selling your house, and saying goodbye to everything and everyone familiar sounds scary it's because it is. It's not the safe thing nor the easy way, but perhaps that what makes it so enriching. While security is a useful and neccessary part of survival, it's walls can be a prison instead of a fortress. One is made to keep others out while the other is made to keep you in.I'm not here to say slashing and burning the life you've created is what leads to happiness, but I will say a change of routine reveals a surprising perspective that breathes new life into a world that feels like a prison sentence.I once had an assignment living in a community house to write down how I spent a week of my time. While a large portion of that time was taken by sleep and work, I found an equal share was under my control (almost 8 hours a day!). What was interesting about this assignment was my desire to improve upon and outdo myself as the week progressed. Instead of 4 hours playing a computer game (or social media) I decided to call up a friend and plan a coffee date. I started using my calendar and trying to fill in the days with socializing, or planning a few hours just for me. Instead of filling in 15 min here or an hour there I planned and carved out hours of time in advance (usually using Sunday as the day I'd make contacts and plan the week).There are plenty of TED talks about this sort of living, but I guess the comparison I'm trying to make here is that it took deliberate planning to break the routine. I didn't wake up one day and walk out my door with a pack on (though I'm positive others have). I planned my life around this trip. I never married. I never had kids. I kept my possesions to a minimum so moving was easier. I became a jack of all trades (and master of none) so I knew I could always find employment. I setup my life to be how I wanted to live it instead of letting others dictate how life should be lived. I guess that makes me proud to be a millenial.We live in an incredible time in history where almost anything is possible. I could be in Asia tomorrow. I can learn to play guitar RIGHT NOW sitting on this train. I can connect with billions of people with the device in front of me. I can brainstorm and create the next greatest whatever and make a bunch of money. These freedoms which we take for granted have never before been available to people of our class (unless there's some monarch reading this post). What may help us realize these freedoms is a near future where they may no longer be available. Do you how expensive emissions for vacation flights might become? How about how harmful the new 5G network is for humans? Wonder what will get axed when Net Nuetrality fails to be recovered?We can get anything, anytime, anywhere. Making snap judgements in the moment provides a 'fast food' delivery full of hollow satisfaction. Why not take charge of this moment in time and plan to do something with it instead of waiting till you're wasting it?Get a list together. Make it appropriate to the time and lifestyle you have (or want). It's AMAZING the access we have to information to educate ourselves for something new. All of us can find one hour, or one week, or one day to experience something outside of ourselves and better come in touch with the world at large. If people aren't your thing maybe try nature? I've found those people give me more (rather than less) faith in humanity.Make your life one that you choose. If all of us were more satisfied with this (like those I've found enjoying the outdoors, or music, or learning, or ANYTHING) we'd all be more satisfied with what we perceive the world to be, like a feedback loop instead of a black hole. Maybe then we will remember what we have in common instead of that which keeps us apart. Levi