Monday, February 18, 2008

Thoughts on Variation

Traveling brings out the best and worst in people and loathes in the extreme disparity of the human psyche. Personally, I find solitude in the mental break from the redundant norms of my daily routine  and the inherent cognitive stimulation that comes with new surroundings. I learn more in one day of traveling about who I am as a member of society than one month at home. Especially interesting is the impromptu interaction with others that intrigues me most. There is something in the human socialization process that is like an opiate to me, always searching for more, never getting enough. Granted there are people everywhere, even where I live, with captivating tales to be told. Home has a routine which impedes upon the possibility of an off the cuff conversation and hinders the sense of the unknown with its comfort. Travels with a common denominator such as a friend is where I am always surprised for better or for worse. When touring, there is no middle-of-the-road disposition, merely an individual stretched to two extremes. Is a home nothing more than mediocre comforts which we have learned to live with for better or worse allowing for us to live our existence in the average comforts of life thus curbing our desires for more and retarding the urges of an idle existence? When traveling the average comforts of home are gone leaving one with two choices, better or worse. This one predicament instantly shows the true colors of an individual's personality. Is one easy to please, or is one spoiled beyond content? When events are out of one's control is one reactive or proactive? Does the said individual maintain composure or self-destruct? Is a friend when traveling really a friend or a passing acquaintance fading with time like the short lived tripped shared? The ceaseless unforeseen moments that perpetuate throughout a tour allow for me to accurately assess my being and bearing. I find the unknown to be intriguing and exhilarating leaving only space for experimentation and no room for error. One mistake and all can be perpetually loss regardless of where fault lies. I love the high risk of extemporaneous social interaction and the benefits there after. Already at twenty-one, I am constantly reminded of the diminutive size of the world and the constantly expanding global society. I hope and dream of the day when in the future I will have people who I have made a positive contact with in all of the many corners and pigeonholes of the world. I feel if you have met me once it is just a short time until we meet again and I hope we do. Life is a journey for all, I just feel called to never stop the search.

1 comment:

stephsharpe said...

very insightful thought. I guess that is why God calls us out of our comfort, He knows that we know the tricks to be accepted in society, so He wants us to grow and get out of it and like you said for better or for worse.