What's your name? Where are you from? What is your job? How old are you? These are probably the four most asked questions in our lives, and more importantly the ones that according to society define who we are.
The first one is perhaps necessary to make some sense when we refer to one another, but certainly not to define our identities. Yet we label good and bad names, parents debate for months over names for their children, artists often change their names to make them more captivating, we create middle names, nicknames, etc.
Among children and teenagers age is a great deal and naturally "how old are you?" is the second most important question. It is interesting to notice how children specify the months or even the days: "I am 4 and half!" but as we grow older we limit our answers to the years, and after we reach mid 30's we are rarely even asked about our age.
A third question, which instead acquires importance as we leave childhood, concerns our job.
Although there is not much in a job as for most of us is simply a mean to an end, this question becomes so important that almost fully defines our identities. Most people overidentify with what they do or create and so become John the Doctor, Paul the Lawyer, Sarah the Marketing Manager, etc. I personally hate this question because I want to be considered for much more than simply my job. As a result I have experienced so many different professions and acquired numerous specialisations which in the end make it impossible even for me to label myself as a researcher, a consultant, a scuba diving instructor, a swim coach, an academic, a manager, an entrepreneur, or so on...
A fourth question that I often try to avoid or give blurry answers to is "where are you from?" To me the nature of the question itself is bad as it seeks to separate rather than unite; it reinforces differences and sometimes hatred. Within a single city people from differenent suburbs look at each other differently, and the same applies across regions, between north and south of the same country, and ultimately across nations. The answer to the question becomes even more complicated for people who travel extensively and have often relocated, resided in various continents and perhaps acquired different citizenships.
There are of course a number of other questions we are often asked and some of them are extremely common in some countries but not in others. For example, in the Philippines the first question is "what is your religion?", while in Italy "which soccer team are you a fan of?" ranks vey high. Altought different in nature both of these questions answer the same need of belonging to a group. Whether we talk about etnicity, religion, politics, or sport the creation of groups gives us a sense of belonging but it also inevitably emphasizes differences and competition, which are not bad if controlled but just a stone throw away from mutating into racism, terrorism, war, and vandalism.
So, to summarize this post, there are two categories of questions we should be careful of, the ones aiming to define who we are in extremely simplistic terms and the ones with the purpose of creating competition among groups.
22 March, 2010
05 March, 2010
What Should I Pack?
The longer the trip the less you should pack!
Ideally have only one backpack weighting less than 7kg and containing:
- An open-return ticket
- No itinerary or a very flexible one
- Visas (often easier and cheaper to obtain them directly at the border)
- No ICT stuff (max a cheap mobile and portable camera)
- Money split across multiple pre-paid cards + credit card + $800 cash
- Old clothes:
- sandals (shoes only in winter)
- 3 shirts
- 3 pants (long, short, costume)
- 6 underwear
- 1 pair of socks (if sandals instead of shoes)
- rain coat
- jumper
- Travel insurance
- Basic medicines
- Alarm clock
- Couple of books (hopefully profound topics)
- Toiletries
- nail clippers
- toothbrush/paste
- soap
- toilette paper
- shampoo (less than 200ml)
- sun cream 40+ (less than 200ml)
- Sunglasses (if necessary)
- No jewellery, watch, rings, etc.
- Earplugs
- Sleep mask
- Notepad/pencil/pen/pencil sharpener
- Small lock (no key)
- Midsize towel
- Two plastic bags
- Lonely planet of first country to visit
- Wallet
- Passport
- Belt for cards/money safety
- Insects repellent
22 February, 2010
The Art of Travelling
I am not a professional photographer and neither intend to become one. Yet, every once in a while during my travels I take a lucky shot either thanks to the subject, the colours, the angle, or something else. These few pictures are important for me as they represent great memories to treasure for life.
A nice picture taken in a remote part of the world really has the power to transport us over there, to momentarily make us forget the routine of our lives, to raise questions in our heads about creation and the universe.
If a single picture can do all that, when we move from frame to frame in a collection of similarly beautiful shots, we can really imagine ourselves pulled into those far away lands, forget who we are and where we come from. Could the spirit of a traveller be exactly this: to abandon himself into the unknown to rediscover his most hidden nature?
A trip in foreign lands where life is still simple is not just an escape from our homeland, the traffic, our job, etc... It is rather a cut from a limited life, constrained by a society with too may concerns, rules and obligations. Running away, even if temporarily, from such madness is like living in a parallel dimension characterized by complete freedom bounded purely by nature and chance.
The main aim of the real traveller however is not to escape his daily life, but rather to experience a FULL life, where every day is a mystery. A travel is a metaphor of life, a journey into the unknown, a way of testing ourselves, a voyage of discovery, growth, triumph and defeat. How far can we go without sleeping or with limited food in an unfamiliar territory? How do we blend into a slum, a local tribe, or a characteristic food market? What emotions do we face in front of a desert, a jungle, or at 5,000 meters? A trip can be perceived as a search for the “moment”. When I travel, there are no plans, I am alone and always in different places. As a result, every second is new, unexpected, and intriguing. The average day seems to last a week rather than the real 24 hours!
I am strongly convinced that Western (or better Modern) society is significantly damaging our lives. We fear things that are just natural occurrences, our priorities are illogical, our feelings/emotions became more and more shallow, etc. By travelling in remote places, we can still witness today a GOOD life. That can be easily perceived by everyone who is just willing to look as no search is required to find big smiles of children faces, serenity in the expressions of old people, joy and laugh among farmers in tribes where you’ll never find a single piece of plastic, or big families eating together. And most importantly the aspect to reflect on is that such people eat while hundreds of flies feast at their tables, walk miles to and from work/school, sleep on wooden beds, have floors made of dust rather than concrete, and bamboo walls.
We have to completely rethink our way of life if we want to find happiness! Through travelling and by witnessing happy people in poor places we can realize that and then perhaps progressively get rid of most of the fears and delusions that exist only in the minds of modern men. That will eventually help us to find again the simple answers to existential questions that we keep putting aside for better times: how do we find happiness? What is the meaning of life? Should we fear death? What is freedom? What is friendship? What is love?
A nice picture taken in a remote part of the world really has the power to transport us over there, to momentarily make us forget the routine of our lives, to raise questions in our heads about creation and the universe.
If a single picture can do all that, when we move from frame to frame in a collection of similarly beautiful shots, we can really imagine ourselves pulled into those far away lands, forget who we are and where we come from. Could the spirit of a traveller be exactly this: to abandon himself into the unknown to rediscover his most hidden nature?
A trip in foreign lands where life is still simple is not just an escape from our homeland, the traffic, our job, etc... It is rather a cut from a limited life, constrained by a society with too may concerns, rules and obligations. Running away, even if temporarily, from such madness is like living in a parallel dimension characterized by complete freedom bounded purely by nature and chance.
The main aim of the real traveller however is not to escape his daily life, but rather to experience a FULL life, where every day is a mystery. A travel is a metaphor of life, a journey into the unknown, a way of testing ourselves, a voyage of discovery, growth, triumph and defeat. How far can we go without sleeping or with limited food in an unfamiliar territory? How do we blend into a slum, a local tribe, or a characteristic food market? What emotions do we face in front of a desert, a jungle, or at 5,000 meters? A trip can be perceived as a search for the “moment”. When I travel, there are no plans, I am alone and always in different places. As a result, every second is new, unexpected, and intriguing. The average day seems to last a week rather than the real 24 hours!
I am strongly convinced that Western (or better Modern) society is significantly damaging our lives. We fear things that are just natural occurrences, our priorities are illogical, our feelings/emotions became more and more shallow, etc. By travelling in remote places, we can still witness today a GOOD life. That can be easily perceived by everyone who is just willing to look as no search is required to find big smiles of children faces, serenity in the expressions of old people, joy and laugh among farmers in tribes where you’ll never find a single piece of plastic, or big families eating together. And most importantly the aspect to reflect on is that such people eat while hundreds of flies feast at their tables, walk miles to and from work/school, sleep on wooden beds, have floors made of dust rather than concrete, and bamboo walls.
We have to completely rethink our way of life if we want to find happiness! Through travelling and by witnessing happy people in poor places we can realize that and then perhaps progressively get rid of most of the fears and delusions that exist only in the minds of modern men. That will eventually help us to find again the simple answers to existential questions that we keep putting aside for better times: how do we find happiness? What is the meaning of life? Should we fear death? What is freedom? What is friendship? What is love?
14 February, 2010
The Illusion of World Peace
World Peace is no more than an illusion if proposed by developed nations. It is unattainable and unsustainable because based upon false assumptions of unlimited resources.
Let's first consider the fundamental principle of a capitalist market economy: competition. If there are groups, competition is likely to be part of their nature. It might be hidden through cooperation when resources abound, but it explodes whenever they lack. History is full of examples with almost every war caused by lack of resources by one group and the outcome being a redistribution of wealth.
By analysing the past, one might suggest to eliminate groups. Ok, let's be all the same, equal among equals. Nothing new here in principle as the elimination of classes has already been repetitively attempted in socialist and communist states, although never with real success. Nevertheless, let us assume that socialist ideals could be effectively implemented. That would mean no more diversity, the ending of national borders, and therefore no more reasons for war. However, there would still be a lack of resources as the superabundance of goods and services promised by Karl Marx and the likes is finite given the limits of our planet, while population growth and its needs appear not to be so. Unless people mentality was going to significantly change, the only foreseeable outcome in a stateless situation would be total chaos.
So, we need to simultaneously unite but also change. A process of unification has been underway for more than a decade, but we have been moving in the wrong direction. Instead of copying the best practices in the world and conform to those, we have been following the worst examples. As a result, today we have more drugs, less time for family life, more fast foods, more pornography, more divorces, more violence, less time outdoor, less spirituality, less dreams, less care for nature, more gadgets, more spending, more working hours, less affordable housing, etc. Somehow we need to reverse this trend while there are still cultures and people not yet fully assimilated into the new system and who can still provide living examples of a different kind of life.
In parallel with a unification of people across the globe based on shared ideas and principles rather than ethnicity, religion or nationality, we need to change at an individual level. Many changes have to take place, but most importantly we need to:
1) Become more independent from society, and
2) Become more spiritual (not religious)
Take away frmm a man and he will act like an animal! Humanity has to voluntarily readjust its standards of living to a level of modesty that is sustainable and almost entirely detached from world events. As an example, a Global Financial Crisis should not potentially cause extreme hardship on an individual or a family over the following 12 months, and neither should a raise in interest rates, losing a job, a natural disaster, etc.
Through spirituality we might become more aware, awakened in a world of sleeping people, and basically more alive. Spirituality is the key also in terms of relationships. Similarities with others and sense of belonging depend only in minimal part on cultural backgrounds. It is a false feeling. Much more important is instead to be surrounded by similarly spiritual beings. Also in a couple relationship, same spirituality overcomes all other differences.
Let's first consider the fundamental principle of a capitalist market economy: competition. If there are groups, competition is likely to be part of their nature. It might be hidden through cooperation when resources abound, but it explodes whenever they lack. History is full of examples with almost every war caused by lack of resources by one group and the outcome being a redistribution of wealth.
By analysing the past, one might suggest to eliminate groups. Ok, let's be all the same, equal among equals. Nothing new here in principle as the elimination of classes has already been repetitively attempted in socialist and communist states, although never with real success. Nevertheless, let us assume that socialist ideals could be effectively implemented. That would mean no more diversity, the ending of national borders, and therefore no more reasons for war. However, there would still be a lack of resources as the superabundance of goods and services promised by Karl Marx and the likes is finite given the limits of our planet, while population growth and its needs appear not to be so. Unless people mentality was going to significantly change, the only foreseeable outcome in a stateless situation would be total chaos.
So, we need to simultaneously unite but also change. A process of unification has been underway for more than a decade, but we have been moving in the wrong direction. Instead of copying the best practices in the world and conform to those, we have been following the worst examples. As a result, today we have more drugs, less time for family life, more fast foods, more pornography, more divorces, more violence, less time outdoor, less spirituality, less dreams, less care for nature, more gadgets, more spending, more working hours, less affordable housing, etc. Somehow we need to reverse this trend while there are still cultures and people not yet fully assimilated into the new system and who can still provide living examples of a different kind of life.
In parallel with a unification of people across the globe based on shared ideas and principles rather than ethnicity, religion or nationality, we need to change at an individual level. Many changes have to take place, but most importantly we need to:
1) Become more independent from society, and
2) Become more spiritual (not religious)
Take away frmm a man and he will act like an animal! Humanity has to voluntarily readjust its standards of living to a level of modesty that is sustainable and almost entirely detached from world events. As an example, a Global Financial Crisis should not potentially cause extreme hardship on an individual or a family over the following 12 months, and neither should a raise in interest rates, losing a job, a natural disaster, etc.
Through spirituality we might become more aware, awakened in a world of sleeping people, and basically more alive. Spirituality is the key also in terms of relationships. Similarities with others and sense of belonging depend only in minimal part on cultural backgrounds. It is a false feeling. Much more important is instead to be surrounded by similarly spiritual beings. Also in a couple relationship, same spirituality overcomes all other differences.
31 January, 2010
Rules of Good Travelling
Some suggestions for when you travel:
- whenever you buy something, leave something else behind (e.g. if you get a new shirt, give the old one away)
- have a minimum travel time of 3 weeks
- goal is to meditate, hence you are searching for detachment from reality, awareness, inner peace, sense of belonging to the world, letting it all go.
It is a rollicoster of feelings, especially when you travel by yourself as you will be exposed to greater dangers, loneliness, difficulty in grasping the benefits of travelling alone, and no one to share your emotions with. If you travel with someone else, the experience will be much less absolute but still good as long as you will allow time for yourself. The positive side of having a travel buddy is that you can think out loud, debate, defend or abandon your arguments, and perhaps more quickly find your way.
Whether you opt to begin the travel alone or not, the experience of fully opening up to the world will allow you to reassess your life and put things back into perspective. You will more easily recognise right from wrong, re-establish life priorities, discover truths about man/life/universe.
18 January, 2010
MediTravel
When I travel alone in new places I love to witness my awareness growing. My senses get all fully active and receive so much more information (leading to feelings and emotions) than they usually do.
This is the reason why I often say that travelling for me is a sort of meditation. It represents one of the few moments when I can experience full awareness.
Although I always try to improve my approach to travelling by adding further simplicity, calm and relaxation, I often find myself departing with a structured plan of places to visit and things to do. My written plan inevitably ends up progressively losing shape and my role during the trip shifts from being an attentive observer (a type of tourist) to a participant. As the trip goes on I find myself taking less and less pictures as I absorb more and more of what surrounds me.
This is the reason why I often say that travelling for me is a sort of meditation. It represents one of the few moments when I can experience full awareness.
Although I always try to improve my approach to travelling by adding further simplicity, calm and relaxation, I often find myself departing with a structured plan of places to visit and things to do. My written plan inevitably ends up progressively losing shape and my role during the trip shifts from being an attentive observer (a type of tourist) to a participant. As the trip goes on I find myself taking less and less pictures as I absorb more and more of what surrounds me.
04 January, 2010
Let's Get Started!
Although the blog is named after me, most of the entries will not be. Instead their focus will be on issues of life that are arguably of interest to most people, such as the pursuit of happiness, pleasure, human nature, education, distribution of time, etc. Of course, in doing so I will sometimes refer to my personal experiences to better explain how my views matured overtime, but that will never be the emphasis.
I was not sure of the content for my first entry. On one side I wanted to start by simply sharing my thoughts as they emerged in my mind. On the other I felt it was important for me to briefly describe how I have become who I am today. So, as post Number One, I have written a brief biography and named it "About Me". I hope you'll enjoy the reading...
I was not sure of the content for my first entry. On one side I wanted to start by simply sharing my thoughts as they emerged in my mind. On the other I felt it was important for me to briefly describe how I have become who I am today. So, as post Number One, I have written a brief biography and named it "About Me". I hope you'll enjoy the reading...
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