As I sit in this Tibetan Café in Dharamshala (India) drinking my butter tea (which literally tastes like you’re drinking butter - not a fan), I have once again started asking myself “why do many of us have this undeniable urge to travel and explore and some dont?”
I’ve always been an inquisitive and reflective individual – curious about the world – curious about the people that reside in this world – and curious about the minds that reside in these people. What underlies our actions? Why are some of us happier than others? How can we open ourselves up to the love of others? How can we become more compassionate to one another?
We come into this world with no ego and only through our life experiences do we start developing one. This Ego is necessary for us to live in this functional world, but can also be detrimental to our personal growth. It creates Neurosis. It puts blame on others. It closes us off to love. It entraps us!
Being more aware of your body and mind will start to lessen the power of your ego, and your bliss starts shining – your true nature starts to surface. You start to weed out the bullshit in your life and find out what’s truly important to you; I find that traveling expedites this process. You start realizing that you’re nobody special in this world (in the best way possible) – what you are back home is a baggage of stuff and titles that make you feel entitled to a certain extent; traveling allows you to become ONE with humanity.
Where the robotic routine nature of our lives back at home make us feel uninspired whereas traveling makes you feel alive again. The senses are heightened and you become more aware of the surroundings; the mind opens itself up to different cultures and other ways of living; the comfort zone we’ve kept so near starts expanding; Fear starts to dissipate; You amaze yourself with what you’re capable of, gaining confidence with every obstacle that comes in your way; You start letting go of attachment to your emotions and realize that they are fleeting; You meet incredible people along the way that can change your views about life; You realize more of what is important to you and what makes you happy; Traveling is all encompassing and all consuming.
Not to mention the obvious beauty that the world is equipped with – the beautiful natural landscapes, witnessing the history of humanities past, the fascinating wildlife you come into contact with ect.ect.ect. School, documentaries and movies can only provide you with knowledge – but it can’t provide you with wisdom – the wisdom comes through experience. This world is FULL of experiences and it’s ours to explore and indulge in. A child doesn’t look into the future or the past; It lives in the present moment, looking at everything with such wonderment and curiosity. We have lost that childlike nature and need to discover it again.
Surrender yourself to the journey and the world. Be aware. Strengthen your intuition. And let it guide you ॐ h-OM-e ॐ