If I have come to any conclusion after all of these periods
of introspection, it is this: Do cool shit.
That’s terribly vague, I know. But the value of life lies in
the things that we do. If the things we do every day are fulfilling and
rewarding, then we will feel fulfilled and rewarded. If we find our actions to
be empty and meaningless, then our lives, too, will be empty and
meaningless.
I recently travelled to Costa Rica and Nicaragua. In
Nicaragua, I had a conversation with a guy who was contemplating the
possibility of moving to Nicaragua. He’s a war vet turned park ranger and nature lover. With his war pension, he receives about $1300 a month from Uncle Sam. That’s far more than anyone would need to live
in Nicaragua. He said that he couldn’t pull the trigger.
I, too, thought about the possibility of moving down there. Sitting
on a hammock and staring into the sunset, it certainly seemed like a good
strategy.
What I’ve learned in all my years of introspection (aka,
contemplative inaction) is that it doesn’t matter.
Moving to Nicaragua will not make me happy or fulfilled. Nor
will it make me unhappy or unfulfilled, either. What determines that is what I
do every day, wherever I might be. If I sit around and eat and drink all day, I’ll
eventually feel like a waste of life, regardless of what country I’m in. If I
engage in activities I think are enriching, I will feel enriched.
The decision to move to Nicaragua would initially be
interesting and challenging, and it would provide an emotional boost for a
short period of time. But after the initial boost of adrenaline wears off, you’re
still the same person with the same problems and peccadillos you had before you
left. You have to come up with new challenges and struggles to give your life
meaning.
Because even if you’re in a cool place, if you’re not doing cool shit,
over time, it won’t matter.
And that’s all I have to say about that.
Amen!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely gone down the same thought path. (Pulling from your other blog as well) I've thought about how travel "takes away" time from training, etc. Hadn't left the country for a few years and really missed it -- nothing compares to seeing something different. Races are great, but it's all the same people/mentality.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, onto the above, you've gotta make the most of what you have. We are privileged enough to have some choice in that, not everyone does, but being idle or complacent is the bigger threat in the USA. One slight disagreement: living or traveling doesn't necessarily solve things, but it does provide a rich palette for inspiration, and experiences to draw from for the rest of your life. The *wrong* reason to move, which is one of the most common ones in the USA (and also for moving abroad), is purely for $$$. Heck, we could all move to further into the plains and have a longer commute, but lower cost-of-living...but at a cost of quality-of-life.
On the other end, one can also live a very encapsulated life and be rich in happiness -- think about close-knit multigenerational European families enjoying a long, homecooked meal together. As for doing "cool shit," you can have the guy that goes around the country/world and climbs the greatest mountains, and the guy that becomes an expert in his own backyard. Both are cool because of the active mindfulness involved -- it comes down to active choices, like GZ was saying recently.
I certainly agree that travelling helps to develop a rich palette for inspiration. I think the point I was trying to convey (to myself as well as anyone else), is that it won't solve your problems. And that a permanent state of relaxation and inaction is most definitely not something to seek out. To the extent that you travel to expand your worldview and learn more about others and yourself, it will help you grow and enrich your life. But if the goal is to avoid something here (work, family problems, social concerns, whatever), it's a short-term solution, if that.
ReplyDelete