Thoughts from the road

Traveling has always been about adventure, discovery and exploration for me. Back in June, as Danyelle and I left Chicago towards Cuba, I set out on a trip that I thought would bring answers to big life questions. Here we are, 5 months and 8 countries into our journey, and I have found that the number of questions I have has grown faster than the answers I have obtained. We have met so many locals and fellow travelers — shared strange, delicious and interesting foods and talked about family, life goals, politics, photography, music, and so much more. We’ve visited dozens of churches, temples, mosques and monasteries and we’ve learned so much about cultural and religious practices along the way.

The truth is that I feel that I have found something in this trip that is very different than what I thought I would find. There are so many things that I cannot reconcile in my head or my heart. Here are a few examples. There’s a massive amount of division, disagreement, and struggle present in the lives of people around the world. Even though we have more similarities than differences as human beings, we often choose to focus on the differences. There are so many belief systems across the world that are so different; the differences often create a lot of conflict for the people living in the part of the world.

We have met Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and Jews that are as devout and passionate about their beliefs as we are about ours. Their ways of life reflect what is important to them and they are very often centered on family, relationships and people. These are not people who are focused on the accumulation of wealth — for some it’s a matter of daily survival or physical security, and for others it’s the freedom to hold onto and practice what they believe.

Perhaps it’s human nature to have gotten lost in my own struggle, but for a while, it was hard to accept just how blessed my life really is when compared to the lives of so many of the people we have lived amongst over the last 5 months. As a nation, we are extremely fortunate to be protected from so many of the extremely harsh realities that a lot people face around the world on a daily basis.

As we continue to travel, I realize that maybe it’s less important for me to find answers to my questions and more important to find which questions I should learn to live with. My life story, opinions, beliefs and practices are one in a sea of many. I feel that its important to hold onto my roots and to who I am, but perhaps I shouldn’t hold onto them so tightly that they can’t evolve and grow. In the words of the Indian philosopher, Jiddu Krishnamurti, “To ask the ‘right’ question is far more important than to receive the answer.”

Perhaps the most important thing I have realized is to be grateful for where I am today and for what God has given me today. I have spent so much time living in the past and the future that it is a gift in itself to be able to live today as well as I can. I want to live for today. I am grateful for today.