Since I have begun telling people about my plans to go travel through SE Asia, the number one question I have been asked is something along the lines of the following: "What is the point of doing that? Why SE Asia? Why right now in your life? Isn't there something more productive you could be doing?" It all seems to connote that to embark on such a journey would be nothing more than a waste of time.
To many people, the answers to these questions seem self-evident. Honestly, who wouldn't want to go on a 2-3 month adventure through some beautiful countries to become acquainted with new cultures, taste unique foods, befriend unfamiliar peoples, gain spiritual insight from other religions, and become more open-minded by peering through the lens of refreshing perspectives?
To others, however, it might seem pointless. It might seem like a waste of time and resources. I could be finding a spouse and starting a family, beginning a career and earning money, or starting my next step in education and getting ahead of the curve, etc.
In this post, I will attempt to expound upon the answers to these questions.
To start off, I will quote a great philosopher: "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." There is so much to learn in this life and in this world, and, the only way to truly learn is through experience. I could read as many books as there have been written about carpentry, but unless I do carpentry with my own two hands, experience it with my own senses, then I can never truly learn it. Mastery of carpentry will always evade me unless I get into the nitty gritty experiences which are necessary to become a master of carpentry. Experience is requisite in ascertaining true knowledge.
So, I want to experience a new paradigm, and through my experience increase my knowledge of reality. I believe that such knowledge cannot be obtained in any other way. Such experience and knowledge could help me throughout the course of the rest of my life. I crave such a thing.
Why SE Asia?
There are several reasons why I have chosen to backpack through SE Asia instead of some other region of the world. First of all, I have experienced Latin American culture already by serving a 2-year mission in Chile. Now, obviously living in Chile doesn't replace the experience the of traveling through all the other beautiful countries of SA (i.e. Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, etc.), but I spent a lot of time with people from those countries. I've eaten their foods, become good friends with their peoples, and learned about their perspectives. I plan on returning to backpack through the rest of the South American countries sometime in the future, but for now I want to experience a culture I know nothing about. SE Asia offers that experience. I literally know nothing about Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, or Indonesia, other than what I have read in Lonely Planet.
Additionally, SE Asia is quite inexpensive. Considering I just recently graduated from my university, and only have 4 1/2 months of actual full-time work under my belt, I still consider myself quite poor. Traveling through SE Asia will give me the biggest bang for my buck.
Why right now in my life?
This may be my only chance. I plan on starting graduate school in September 2015. I plan on getting married and having a family. As many of you are already aware, once those two things come into play, traveling becomes much more difficult. I thought that this was the perfect and perhaps the only time I would be able to get out into the world and travel without having the responsibilities of being a student, husband, or father.
Having said that, I want everyone to know that I am not running away from those type of responsibilities! I am continually bombarded with reprehension from my peers suggesting that I am making an unethical choice for choosing SE Asia over marriage. Despite what others might think, I have not come across the opportunity to get married. Anyone who thinks otherwise is welcome to contact me personally so that I can explain to them what I mean.
In conclusion...
Going to experience the world is something I think all of us have a desire to do. We all want to discover, explore, and adventure through distant lands. If you examine yourself with real intent, I think that you would find my desire to go adventuring through unknown territories is not such a foreign concept. There is so much to learn, and there are so many ways to grow. I strongly believe that such an adventure will help me to grow not only intellectually and emotionally, but even spiritually. I will discover new things about myself as I interact with unfamiliar paradigms.
It will change my concept of time. I think we all have experienced the mundane feelings of everyday life. Waking up, eating breakfast, going to work, coming home, relaxing, and repeating the same process. Pretty soon we check the calendar and a couple months have gone by, and then a year. Time somehow evades us. What better way to take advantage of time then by backpacking through foreign lands!? What better way to fill every minute of the day with new sights, concepts, smells, and feelings? I cannot think of one.
I hope this post helps answer some of your questions. I hope that you will be open-minded about my decisions. I hope that you can see my perspective, even if you do not agree with it.
I love you. All of you.
