Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – 8th June 2009
I’ve never been very good at doing what I’m told. I have this automatic response built into me that wants to do something different, to not conform. It’s not a conscious choice, I react before I get the chance to over ride it. This, I now know is my chimp talking.
Thankfully, it has got better with age! It also manifests itself in more positive ways.
I have a curious nature, one that likes to explore, to find out how something works. When faced with a repetitive task I’ll try and find variation, to sate my curiosity and provide novelty.
Show me the road that I haven’t travelled.
I love wandering, whether that is in my mind or with my body. To just explore and see where it takes me, then the discovery is all mine, even if it is to arrive at a famous landmark. I can feel enthralled by it’s wonder rather than ticking it off a list. It means something to me.
That is why I travel, to bring meaning to myself. It is obvious. It is also obvious then, why I get tired of traveling as without careful thought, It is easy to slip into a list ticking exercise. To merely have a destination to arrive at without realising the destination is irrelevant. Without introducing meaning into how you got there and why you were going in the first place.
Then you arrive with no point and you either hide from yourself or you go home.