One world, one and a half tubes of toothpaste, two continents, three pairs of sunglasses, four toothbrushes, five pairs of underwear (don’t ask), seven self-shaves, 27 flights, 45 hotels, hostels, floors, friend’s homes and apartments, 131 sunsets and memories for many lifetimes. Over the past four and a half months, you’ve read about one or two, maybe more, of my experiences. Within limits, I’ve tried to add photos to fill in the blanks for what my writing failed to express.
But there are many images, moments, feelings and vistas that were not captured on film: there was the boy cycling down a Bombay street with an ice block wrapped in brown paper tethered to his bike dripping as he rode furiously to deliver it before it thawed; the core shattering experience of bathing in the Ganges with Sri Sri exchanging soulful glances and smiles while a chorus of men and women sang; Roopa’s heart reaching out and embracing me as her son; the cows on the streets in India, walking calmly in the middle of chaos; the gentleness of Saleem, the tuk tuk driver in Ft. Cochin whose relationship with his best friend Johnson serves as a model of true friendship and tolerance, transgressing stark religious differences; performing sun salutations at an ashram as we welcomed the sunrise; the battered, but resilient rikshaw driver in Saigon who fought next to the US and then was imprisoned for nine years after the war, remaining a second class citizen today; squinting, eating dust and bugs on a nighttime return motorbike ride with my sunglasses on in Hue, Vietnam; the enthusiastic and warm welcome of the dolphins heard first in my heart; meeting a determined young Muslim woman at 7-11 in Singapore who helped me understand the world infinitely better; using the net for couchsurfing in Malaysia and meeting wonderful people who went out of their way for a complete stranger; holding the head of a big cat with incisors the size of my finger in my lap; soaring over the limestone karsts in southern China; looking into the eyes of the Chinese people and seeing many warm hearts desiring to open more fully; the warm welcome of Australians and the reverse culture shock, the beauty and pristine Outback coupled with the rain forests and dramatic coastline; and common to all of the spots visited, the tremendous yellow, orange, red, sometimes purple sunsets. Everyday it was different and everyday it was beautiful.
The memories go on, and I know someday, I will need to read what I have written to remind myself about the events, places and people’s names. But there is at least one thing for which I will not have to refresh my memory. It goes back to an inspirational quote I drew after one of the Kundalini classes t the Yoga Festival in India. It read, “People may not remember what you did or said, but they will always remember how you made them feel.” That is clearer for me than ever. Scores of people from around the world greeted me with open arms with expectation of nothing in return. Twelve thousand miles from the Bay Area, I was still home.
Our planet is intimately connected. WE are intimately connected. Whether we like it or not, we are in this together, on this mound of dirt floating through dark cold space. How did we get here? How did any of this get here? I mean, there was nothing, then were dinosaurs, now there are lions, tigers, kangaroos, snakes, dolphins, spiders, gorillas, elephants, dogs, whales, ants, rats, crocodiles, koalas, polar bears, cows, sharks, monkeys, eels, thousands of bird species, pandas, humans and so much flora that it is estimated less than fifty percent has been classified. This is an amazingly intricate set-up. Mind blowing actually if you step back and put all of the pieces together.
Throughout this journey, a few themes have recurred in my thoughts time and time again. So I’ll share them here, or at least preserve them for posterity so one day I can reflect on my naïve idealism in case I should lose it. Remind me where to find if that should happen.
On PoliticsEven as a kid, politics was a keen interest of mine. Looking into the windows of other countries alone did not give me insight. It was the local people who were occasionally willing to share. Some were apathetic about the situation, others were frustrated and some were hopeful for change. Most striking was the realization that only shades of gray separate most governments, including that of China and the US. Rather than complete opposites as expected, I found that China has embraced capitalism full throttle. The significant differences remaining between the two nations are largely government restrictions on individuals limiting their freedom of speech, press, religion and elections. These differences are substantial, but with the far reaching Patriot Act and White House authorized wire tapping of US citizens, the “substantial” lines become more insubstantial. As Ben Franklin is credited with saying, “They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security.”
Government corruption was rampant in many of the countries I visited. Modeled more after pyramid schemes than ratified constitutions, those in the top leadership positions dole out director, minister and state offices to the highest bidders. In Vietnam, becoming a police officer often involves knowing someone in the local government and receiving an “appointment” of sorts. Those uninterested in public service, but with great wealth often benefit from prime government contracts such as no bid airlines or construction contracts. Again, this hit close to home, reminiscent of Halliburton’s no bid government contracts in Iraq.
The Founding Fathers were wise to the dangers of a large federal government, warning that it should be kept as small as possible (there are two million civilian employees in the Federal government). Checks and balances were drafted into the Constitution to prevent abuse of power (“Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Lord Acton). Today, however, the Executive branch wields far more power than originally planned and career politicians in Congress yield to special interests contributing to their next re-election campaign (another warning by the Founding Fathers to avoid career politicians). Whether Americans are able to protect our model freedoms will depend on us. Apathy is the shadow of the burglar sneaking in to revise the Constitution.
(The White Breasted Sea Eagle. An enduring sign of freedom like it's brother, the Bald Eagle.)
I have met others that would give their every possession to live in the United States. Land of opportunity and individual freedom, it is still regarded as a special country. Erosion happens over time, sometimes years, maybe even decades, and then one day, the mountain comes crashing down. If preventative measures are taken early on, the slide can often be prevented, or its impact lessened. Such is the state of liberty. A watchful eye must be maintained on the most precious god given right for greed and power are always waiting in the wings to “watch” it for you.
On the Environment
"Only after the last tree has been cut down. Only after the last river has been poisoned. Only after the last fish has been caught. Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten." - Cree Indian Prophecy
This is a red hot button, or if you prefer cooler, more colorful imagery, the proverbial pink elephant in the room. As a species, we are on the fast track to self-destruction, taking along with us everything in our path. Modern ways of living have us more disconnected with our natural environment than ever. I don’t hunt for my meals or spend the day foraging for berries or oats, I go to Whole Foods and pluck it out of bins at the salad bar. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong about the salad bar concept, the danger lies in forgetting from where all of the healthy greens and grains originate.
Going to Safeway on Sunday to shop for the week’s food stuffs makes life easy, but building homes over fertile land in the Sacramento Valley has long term consequences as modern farming methods are employed depleting dwindling farmland of vital nutrients and ultimately lowering the nutritional value of the food we eat. Advanced planning for sustainable farming, such as that done by Russ MacDonald in the Hunter Valley, is still in its infancy. Initially it can be slightly more expensive and labor intensive to set up, but the return product is many times more nutritious than greens from soil bleached of its nutrients.
Pesticides, genetically engineered fruits and veggies, and water contamination present a dangerous course normally reserved for Mother Nature. In China, air and water pollution is out of control (one visit is a stark reminder of the importance of our Clean Air and Water Acts in the US). And it is no longer just China’s problem as particulate matter from Chinese factories is traced to winds over the US, Europe, Canada and Mexico. Third world nations are too busy trying to advance out of the 19th and 20th centuries to worry about the environmental costs of their actions. South American countries such as Brazil, Ecuador and Argentina find themselves cutting down rainforests for foreign oil companies, farmland or timber to service World Bank debt.
People on the brink of starvation or living in abject poverty are understandably less concerned with tomorrow than what they’ll eat today. However, in the process of living for today, the whole world suffers as our natural air filter, the rainforests, are sacrificed for short term gains. Rather than saddle these nations with insurmountable debt, the world should collaborate to preserve vital global resources through an international barter or trade program. Rainforest acreage lost today may never be replaced and at best, it will take thousands of years to regenerate. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I can wait that long.
Where Did All of These People Come From?
At the turn of the 20th century there were approximately 1.6 billion people on the planet. Just one hundred years later, there were 6.5 billion. The human race is growing exponentially. At the current rate, in the next 100 years, the population will increase threefold. Already we are seeing the effects of industrializing nations like China and India on natural resources. Demand for oil, steel, copper and consumer goods is rising at a rate never seen before. Such is the paradox of globalization; standards of living increase as production capacity strains finite resources.
Not that India and China don’t deserve to grow and experience increased standards of living, but such growth should be planned, measured and paced. Sustainable growth is imperative for living in a rich world. Already, the effects of overpopulation are rearing their ugly heads. Contaminated water, polluted air, gridlocked traffic, inability of production to meet world oil demand, and I would submit, the Bird Flu and Mad Cow. Mother Nature will take the controls if we fail to manage diligently. Avian influenza and Mad Cow disease are just two means of restoring balance.
Eyesores
My biggest pet peeve of the trip falls under the environmental category. At a micro level, it underscores my belief that humans have lost touch with their relationship to the environment. Failing to understand the interconnectedness of it all, the litter problem in India and China is appalling. Trash is simply everywhere, dropped in place when it is no longer useful, filling streets, rivers, the ocean and national parks with wrappers, cans, bottles, tires, old cars, etc. Ironically the same problem plagues indigenous cultures in the Amazon, the Outback and the Serengeti, whose only frame of reference for disposal is to return what was not used to the soil so that the earth may put it to use again. Unfortunately, non-biodegradable is a foreign concept to these tribes who are used to living with all natural foods, clothing and house wares.
If we fail to educate others about litter, then our chances of sharing information with them about bio-dynamic farming, sustainable growth and waste/pollution management are next to nil. They are not difficult concepts to grasp, but for the moment, most people do not feel the pain of these failures to be good stewards. Like increasing oil prices, people will not change their habits until prices hit their pocketbooks in such a manner that their quality of life diminishes. In the developed world, the impact from short sighted practices will change more slowly until people feel declines in their health and/or finances. For the peoples still trying to survive day to day in less developed nations, concern over environmental issues takes a distant backseat as they try to feed their families.
Something Smells Fishy
We are told Omega-3 fatty acids are important to our overall health. You can find it in pill form or you can actually eat a piece of salmon and get it naturally. On the flipside, some salmon species are endangered and numbers of others are rapidly decreasing such that many salmon now need to be farmed. Dyed to give them the pink color to which consumes are accustomed, farmed salmon’s nutritional value is under scrutiny. And it doesn’t stop there. We are told not to eat too much saltwater fish each week due to excessive amounts of mercury. The oceans are being treated as the world’s wasteland and alarms are bells have sounded. Spots usually bountiful with fish have gravely diminishing returns. Small fishing outfits have been put out of business and fishing villages now struggle to feed their people. Large fishing tankers have taken the lead, going into deeper waters to chase the bigger fish.
As the population grows, so too does the demand for fish. Massive fishing nets scrape along the ocean floor capturing everything in their path eliminating entire ecosystems in one fell swoop. From plankton, to little fish, bigger fish and birds, the food chain, our food chain, is under incredible strain. For now, it is generally out of sight, often leagues below the ocean surface, but critical mass is foreseeable in my lifetime. Will we be able to worm our way of that one?
Man’s Relationship to the Environment
Hoover Dam, Three Gorges Dam and the Jebel Ali Hotel, a manufactured resort island in Dubai, are just a few examples of modern man’s ability to dominate the environment, or at least, some of his grandest attempts. Changing the course of rivers, flooding valleys and scraping the ocean floor for thousands of tons of sand and rock to make a palm shaped island off the coast of Dubai. These modern marvels are large feats for rather small beings, similar to the construction of termite mounds in the Outback. But for every action, there is a reaction.
(Pictured above: Termite mound in the Outback.)
Much has been written about the damning of the Colorado River so I won’t go into that here. There is a lot more coming to light about the fallout from the new Three Gorges Dam in China. Despite flooding two cities and more than a thousand villages, the environmental impact to the pristine area has stripped it of its renowned natural splendor, further jeopardized the already endangered Yangtze dolphin, the Chinese sturgeon, tiger, alligator and the Giant Panda.
As for the pricey Jebel Ali Hotel in Dubai, you need only see video of the massive ships that scraped several meters deep into the seabed to acquire the necessary rock to create resort land in the middle of the ocean. Imagine a doctor giving you a shot with a ten inch needle so that he could get tissue for his experiment. The ocean received such a shot across miles and miles of its floor, leaving only a bare milky moonscape in its trails.
For our brief period of existence on earth, we have learned to dominate the environment, using creative engineering and construction. Thus far, nature has tolerated our tinkering around (except maybe for New Orleans), but when will she say enough is enough? Slowly, she may be saying “enough” already. Global warming may or may not be attributed to the presence of increased green house gases. Ice ages come and go and perhaps we are just on a “go” cycle. But it’s hard to believe that all of the carbons released into the atmosphere by planes, ships, autos and factories aren’t speeding things up. Even in the absence of any scientific background, it just seems to make intuitive sense.
What kind of world will we leave for future generations? An American philosopher once said, “We didn’t inherit the earth from our fathers; we’re borrowing it from our children.”
On Faith
Does God exist? Is he within each of us? Did he create us in his own image? The answer may be that it doesn’t matter. Instead, it is faith itself that actually provides strength, heals, encourages and uplifts when called upon. Faith alone could be the mental crutch we need to make it through the tough times or use to bond and unite.
Faith was the most intriguing aspect of humanity observed throughout my travels. It plays a role in almost everyone’s lives to varying degrees. Some countries wore their beliefs on their sleeves while others were more reserved. Ironically, the matter of “God” and how to worship, honor or acknowledge “him” is an issue that has divided nations, cultures and people for millennia. On many occasions it has served as the basis for bloody wars (is there any other kind?).
Spirituality and religion stared me in the face in each country visited. I don’t know if I could have started in a land with a more outwardly expressive faith. India is steeped in spirituality, with symbolic statues and pictures of Vishnu, Shiva, Krishna and Brahma in their homes and offices. Thick with ritual and ceremony, the Hindu religion permeates most aspects of Indian society.
Alongside hundreds of millions of Hindus, many Muslims remain in India as do some Buddhists, Catholics and Jains. Tolerance generally keeps the peace, but there are periods of tension such as the bombings in Varanasi just days before my arrival. And occasionally you will hear prejudice remarks from individuals casting judgment or dehumanizing members of another religion. For now, India’s progression onto the world stage as a major player seems to be keeping it’s citizens preoccupied with a greater accumulation of wealth than ever before.
In Southeast Asia and the Far East, Vietnam, Thailand and China subscribe to their own forms of Buddhism, adapted to their particular cultures over the centuries. At the Golden Temple in Thailand it was strange to see mass worship of Buddha as my understanding of Buddhism did not involve worship of Buddha, but rather a search for self-enlightenment. Like many religions, the original belief system has been modified over time. In China, Buddhism is alive, but not practiced as freely. People practice in state approved temples within pre-approved guidelines.
There are many other less mainstream religions and spiritual practices. The Aboriginese believe that all sentient beings are connected, just parts of a collective “One”. Using telepathy amongst themselves and even with dolphins, the Aboriginese use ritual and singing, similar in appearance to that of the Native American Indians. Gratitude toward the universe for its continued abundance is a regular part of morning “prayer” in the Outback.
And of course, there are organizations like the Art of Living that are spiritually based, host to people of all religions. Focusing less on faith and more on grounding and intuition, the Art of Living can be practiced in conjunction with any religion or no religion. A combination of yoga, controlled breathing and a few minutes of silence each day, it is more about looking inward for clarity.
Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, who among them is right? Is one of them more right than the others? Are all of them right? None of them right? If you are Aboriginese, you might believe that all of them are right, that each of them were human manifestations of Divinity sent down as reminders for those who had lost their way at that time in history. But most of us are not Aboriginese and deep divisions over this issue remains.
Again, back to my original question, does it really matter? For now, the answer is a deafening “yes”. Wars will continue to be waged over God vs. Allah, Jesus vs. Mohammed. If God or Allah are watching, it must be a great embarrassment to them. Here are these Divine Beings that created us, look after us and are a part of us, watching us kill each other over whose God to follow. Thank goodness, God has a sense of humor so s/he can appreciate the irony of it all.
If it were as simple as I wrote above, maybe there would be a resolution to it all, an agreement to let each individual worship their God of choice. But our fallible humanness has interfered with the basic question. The issue is no longer purely about God, it is now about the laws of men under the guise of “God”. Some men have seen fit to draft their own moral code and have attached it to a religion. Most of these laws fall under extreme sects of Christianity and Islam. And unfortunately, at the moment, it is the extreme sects that seem to have the world’s attention.
I met many wonderful Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Muslims throughout my travels. All of them were loving, warm and peaceful beings. They were hosts, guides, new friends and old friends, proving to me that religious differences do not divide people. People divide people.
Some part of religion and spirituality has to be about doing the right thing. After all, isn’t that why people study the Bible, Koran, Scriptures, Torah, Vedas and Hindu texts? In my limited understanding, at the root of it all, I think there are more similarities than differences. For example, it wasn’t until this trip when I realized that Jesus is often shown touching his third finger to his thumb in many scenes. Similarly, pictures and statues of Buddha often show him holding his hand in the same manner, touching the same two fingers.
Another example came to me sitting in a Christian church in Shanghai (only Westerners were permitted at the service) with my friend Nick. The minister was quoting a few passages from the Bible. One quote was from Matthew 18 and is abbreviated as follows:
“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 He called a little child and had him stand among them. 3 And he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus was reminding people not to lose touch with their inner child. This instantly reminded me of something Sri Sri often says, “be childlike”. Further I was reminded of two wise words from a Vietnamese born monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, often shared with me by a close friend. “Beginner’s mind,” she says to me, instantly reminding me to take a step back and look at the situation with fresh eyes. Each of these quotes is from different religious and spiritual sources, yet all share the same underlying message. Such is my theory on a pure comparative look at world religions. Fundamentally, they share the same destination, they just use different routes to get there.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Education is key to it all. Without it, the world will not reach its full luster. The Native Americans, the Aboriginese, the Inuit, tribes in Africa, the ancient Chinese and Egyptians knew the importance of handing down wisdom of the ages to successive generations. This art is on the verge of extinction with the advent of television, video games and the countless other distractions keeping us away from the campfires of learning.
Knowledge of “information” is a prime focus for parents, universities and employers. “How much do you know?” is tested with the help of the SAT, ACT, LSAT, MCAT and GMAT (You need a class in acronyms just to get started). With help from the ever popular internet search engine, there is so much to “know” these days that it could take you a thousand lifetimes or more to really “know” something. Plus, you know what has been said about knowledge, “a little bit of it is a dangerous thing.” And that is truer than ever. Knowledge serves as our framework, our viewpoint for everything in our lives. It is often so much a part of us that we forget it is there, serving as our prescription glasses for seeing in the world.
But often times “knowledge” is only speculation, conjecture, based on someone else’s beliefs, not founded in fact or any first hand experience for truly “knowing”. What is the result? Without shared wisdom, first hand experience or really touching the world, people first see differences rather than similarities, leading to prejudgment or prejudice. Glasses through which we see the world are not tested to reassess our prescription.
Oddly enough, my example of learning by hands on experience comes via the antiquated (maybe even obsolete) typewriter. Against my better eighth grade judgment, my Mom encouraged me to take a typing class. Sitting in front of the typewriter, I thought surely someone had played with the keys before me. Why weren’t they in alphabetical order to make it easy? The keys made no sense. Do you remember thinking that the first time you sat before a keyboard (maybe you still do)?
Eight weeks into the class, my fingers began to accept the keys in their preset places. By the end of class I no longer questioned the placement of the keys and in fact, depended on them to be where I last left them. During my travels, I had occasion to come across a keyboard with some foreign characters on the keyboard where I did not expect. At the time, it was confusing and frustrating that the keys were not in their “proper” locations. Was it me? Or did the keyboard need readjusting? While I would like to suggest it was the keyboard, clearly it was me. As in the eighth grade, my prescription for seeing the keyboard needed to be adjusted once again.
Such is the case with the keyboard of life. It requires tune-ups with the times, newly learned wisdom and experience. Eyesight changes with time and so should insight. Both can benefit from new prescriptions from time to time.
Isn’t that one of the reasons children are so treasured in all cultures? Their insight is pure of heart, reminding us of a time when the world was simpler for us. They are honest, nonjudgmental and call a spade a spade without filtering their thoughts. Maybe that is why Jesus, Sri Sri and Thich Nhat Hanh remind us to be “childlike” with a “beginner’s mind”?
So why did I place these paragraphs on knowledge under religion? Because our “knowledge” of religions is dividing the world in ways that threaten humanity and every living being on the planet. People stand behind “knowledge” of God or Allah as justification for many acts that seem anything but God like. Shooting doctors who perform abortions at their homes or walking into a line of people waiting to apply for jobs with a suicide bomb attached to you is far from God, Allah or any other Divine being. How is it that these individuals believe their actions are in the name of God?
They believe it usually for one or two reasons. First and foremost is the failure of their society to offer them a secular education (sometimes because the country does not have the resources). And the second reason is that years of reckless and short sighted foreign policies in the West have made us a natural target. You cannot understand the state of the affairs in the world today without first knowing the detailed world history of the past hundred years.
So a heavenly irony continues. Wars will be fought, everyone will lose and a few men will continue to spin religion for less than altruistic pursuits, all in the name of “God” or “Allah”. In the meantime, I can’t help feeling that the point of it all is being missed and religious zealots continue to weave a tangled web of hypocrisy.
Having seen and visited the temples, mosques or churches of the religions mentioned above, I have barely scratched the surface of understanding and still place myself in the category of knowing nothing. However, that said, clarity for me is in knowing that I need not subscribe to one religion; rather I can live by good general principles and I am likely to be in line with all of them in their purest form (as one person I met traveling described me “a world religion guy”). Be good to others, do what you agree to do, acknowledge the good in others, recognize the abundance in your life, be grateful for each moment, see the lesson in the mist of dark valleys, be in the present, let your love flow freely and have faith in that which gives you strength and nourishes your soul.
On People“Be careful. Watch your bags. So and so was pick pocketed (or mugged) there,” were some of the warnings I heard over and over again before and during my travels. I’m pretty sure I’ve heard them before most trips I’ve taken. It was said out of love and concern. What I’ve come to realize however, is that people all around the world often perceive areas with which they are not familiar as more dangerous than their native surroundings.
What do you think Italians say to each other before they head to New York? Or what do Sudanese tell each other before traveling to Miami? I would venture a guess that they receive advice on being “careful” on their journeys. Traveling to other countries can create anxiety, but the more you do it, the more you begin to realize that, for the most part, people are good. They want to help, love hearing about your home country, enjoy sharing their life stories and connecting with new people.
Somewhere in the process of growing up (probably on the playground when your favorite toy disappears never to be seen again), a healthy dose of skepticism forms to protect us from being taken advantage of by others. Then somewhere between CNN, CSI, COPS, and Poltergeist, an excessive dose is added and poof, you have a fear overdose. Failure to turn back the fear dial leads to international (sometimes even national) travel paralysis. My main point in all of this is to say that at the beginning we all started as one, even the land now separate by oceans was once one. A world map worth the paper it’s printed on looks like a continental puzzle as it should.
Sitting face-to-face with people from all over the world, from different religions, races, cultures, languages and backgrounds reminded me that we really are more alike than not. It’s just that differences are sometimes easier to see because we are used to the similarities and weary of the unfamiliar. Open mind, open heart, good intentions and chocolate leads to more friends in an increasingly small world. Got chocolate (substitute beer if you want German friends; wine for French friends; anything alcoholic for Irish friends)? You’ve got friends.
Next Chapter When did we last see each other? What has gone on in your life since I’ve been gone? Have you caught a sunset or two? Gone to the ocean for a breath of fresh air? Stared out over mountain vistas taking in the magnitude of it all? Laid on the ground under the night sky scanning for shooting stars or searching for the Big Dipper (or Southern Cross for Southern Hemisphere folks)? Or maybe you’ve sat back in your desk chair, smiling as you thought about all the people in your life that fill you with joy?
When I last left you, I ventured into the world seeking both inner and outer discovery. I wondered what lay beyond my realm of reality. Focused on school and then career, I felt there was something missing, unfinished business of sorts. Planning the trip, I focused on the outer journey, places to visit, route to take, budget and weather. I left the inner journey to unfold like an inflatable raft slowly being pumped with air.
(A sign in Alice Springs, Australia. I didn't write it.)
And fill with air it has. I’m not ready to navigate down the Colorado just yet, but the world has shared generously with me. Good fortune has walked with me on this path. Each morning I awake with gratitude, wondering why I am on this journey in new lands. I can’t say that it is much clearer to me now, but I am confident time will tell . . . it always does. What does the future hold for me? I have no idea.
The Greatest GiftI don’t remember where I saw the quote or who said it, but for me, it is the best lesson of my journey. I may have known it before, but I understand and feel it even more now. Some of the realization came from exercises at the ashram, some of it from Roopa, some from helpful strangers, and the rest from the winds of those quiet moments I stood alone looking over mountain vistas, turquoise oceans and camping in the Outback desert. Apart from the political, environmental, faith and human lessons, it stands out as one of the most important beliefs we as humans could hold dear. To do so would surely make the world a better place. I find the best quotes are simple (mostly because I can remember them) and this one does not disappoint:
“The greatest gift is to love. The second is to be loved.”
Even if you don’t have two nickels to rub together, you still have the most prized possession in your heart. Loving is a deliberate choice. It is a conscious decision we can choose to make each day. Throughout my journal entries, I’ve asked how we can make the world a better place or change a bleak course. The answer, the only answer as I see it, is to start with you, me, each one of us. Overly simplistic, perhaps, but within the realm of control.
Chances are you are not reading this because you are enthralled with what I am doing, but rather because you desire to fulfill your own hopes, dreams and aspirations. What will your legacy be? What footprint will you leave? In your last days on earth, what will you remember, regret not doing, miss most, smile about? If you haven’t done it yet, start now because now is all we really have. Tread lightly and share your greatest gift along the way . . . I’m right behind you.
May your greatest gift be returned to you tenfold.
Throughout my travels, I’ve learned a few handy tricks of the traveling trade. Some of them you may have heard before, but there may be a few newbies. As the first leg of my extended global journey ends, I leave you with my top twenty tips. Some of them apply more to budget travel; others are targeted at international travel. You may only find them worth as much as you paid for them. In any event, here they are in no particular order:
