Why me? Why now? Thirties, a comfortable life, a house, a stable and happy relationship, a career, financial security. Ticks all the boxes, right? Or does it?

Society imprints onto us from an early age to follow the rules and to conform, do what we are supposed to do, what the status quo and those around us expect from us. Follow the path, put your head down and everything will be fine, get a good education and get a good job, and then work hard to prove your worth to others, and in the process hopefully earn more money, so that you can get better things: a better title, a better house, a better car, a better TV set. And don’t forget to constantly compare yourself to others! Perhaps have kids? After all that’s what normal people do after they reach a certain security, they settle down, they start a family…and the wheel goes on and on…

Don’t get me wrong, nothing wrong with any of that, that works perfectly well for the vast majority of us, but (and I tell you this as a Psychologist) we are not all made equal, what about individual differences?

My personal problem with these things is that they only satisfy material needs, not necessarily “immaterial” ones, such as serenity, contentment and, dare I say, happiness. Granted, one has to have some basic needs met (see Manslow’s hierarchy of needs for a rough guide) in order to even begin to start thinking about happiness, but let’s face it, most of us are lucky enough to never have had to experience poverty or dreadful socio-economic conditions. I am one of them.

Most of us in the west are spoilt, I am spoilt and lucky that I have had the opportunity to earn some cash that is now making this project possible. But does that mean that I should sit quiet, accept what I have passively and not long for better things, for awe, for happiness?

Life doesn’t owe you happiness, but I believe that one is almost duty-bound to strive for it, whether that is reachable or not, to change things when things are not working and to have the courage to admit that thing aren’t as good as you thought they would be. Is there anything more inherently human than that after all?

Well I took a decision to change. I decided to leave security, at least for the time being, to jump into the unknown, to follow my heart instead of my rationality and to realise a dream that I have been dreaming of for a long time, to take the red pill.

One year travelling throughout Latin America in search of experience, adventure but above all beauty, moment by moment. Natural, historical, artistic but overall human beauty.

My aim for this experience is to be touched by this beauty deep inside, to meet people from different cultures and understand their ways and traditions and to rediscover the human connection that I feel we have somehow lost in the western world. I want to experience genuine, unfiltered human interactions, without agendas or further motives. I want to meet simple genuine people that have not been touched by our western ways (at least not yet!) and re-learn the joy of simplicity from them, the power of a laugh, a conversation, a shared drink without any mutual expectation. Just for the joy of being, in the moment. I hope that this experience will help me to grow as a person and make me into a better, more focussed and more “together” human being, capable of appreciating the beauty in small things and not to be a slave to consumerism. Will my expectations be met, or have I idolised Latin America? I don’t know, but heaven knows I am going to find out!

I will try to use this blog as my diary to record my experiences, both good and bad, and it would be great if I could share my thoughts with you, whoever you are, old friend or random reader.

Welcome to our blog and I hope you enjoy the ride with us!

 

photo credit: N03/15687963236″>Red Pill/Blue Pill via photopin (license)