It has been brought to my attention by a couple of gentle souls that perhaps I've overstepped my bounds with the philosophical/spiritual content of this blog, which is supposed to be a travel journal. I accept this criticism, and apologize if I've offended or caused an annoyance to any of you. While this might not be the appropriate venue for sharing such personal thoughts and experiences, I get easily bored with simply recounting travel tales. The fact is, I set out on this journey to not only experience new cultures and lands, but also in search of greater wisdom and inner peace. I suppose I'm an aspiring philosopher of sorts, whether or not I belong in the company of metaphysicians and ontologists and meditation masters. I don't pretend to be any of these things, but I enjoy the pursuit of knowledge and truth.

Having spent a good portion of the past two months in solitude (since Katy departed), I wouldn't be at all surprised if my sense of social normalcy and acceptability has diminished somewhat. However, I'd never exchange that for the increased awareness of the reality of nature (or nature of reality or whatever you want to call It) that I've experienced during this alone time abroad. As it turns out, I'm kind of a mystical person. Given the right circumstances, I'm pretty sure we all are. It is my strongest conviction that the single most effective way to participate in the solutions to the challenges that face our world is to go inward, and seek out that unnamable force which transcends our personal and collective universe. If we look, with the eyes of a blameless child, we might catch glimpses of of the impermanent and interconnected nature of all things. Only then can the fullest love and compassion and wisdom become manifest in our lives and in our world. This is our greatest need. This is what we must demand of ourselves. This is the way out of our crises, of which climate change is a mere symptom. What is the disease, the root cause of suffering in the world? I'd argue that it is our greed, our selfish nature, our ignorance of what Paul Brunton calls the "Overself" and what Eastern masters term the "Buddha Nature". If we don't practice some form of spiritual or philosophical pursuit in an attempt to touch a higher reality, it is astonishing what we'll consume to fill the void that remains. A few humans have figured out this puzzle of life. I'll continue to work everyday to join their ranks. That is my career, my life's work. If I have any success, the only evidence will be love. Love is a renewable energy that can save the world. Every one of us is a potential producer. Who will create the Google, Wal Mart, Exxon Mobile, or Facebook of this most precious commodity? If not us, who? If not now, never.

Well, there I go again, forgetting this is supposed to be a travel blog! With that, I'll sign off. Be in touch.

Peace and Love!

written by  Katy and Mark Lewis on July 14, 2009 from Denver, United States
from the travel blog: India and Nepal
Send a Compliment

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Mark- It will be good to see you- safe travels- I thought you did a great mix of travelogue and life experience. It made for great reading and thought and value assessment. Russ

written by  russ on July 14, 2009

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