(Click the pics to see them full sized...)
Nearly two months out in Mexico, I'm now back in Los Angeles.
Mexico was fifteen cities in under two months, and the most intense travelling of my life so far.
I'm going to get the pictures up on this blog very soon. I want you to see what I've seen, or at least, some small piece of it.
I also want to write an article about my experiences in the third world this year, both South America and now Mexico.
Last year I made the resolution to spend at least 4 months a year travelling third world countries, and although it's always a shock to the system it's been one of the best choices I've ever made.
Flying back into the first world after I've been gone is like a bizarre dream.
Descending into Los Angeles I look down, and it looks like a city painted with diamonds and gold.
Unlimited wealth everywhere...like an endless ocean of opportunity.
It's hard to grasp the prosperity of the first world until you've been out of it.
And yet at the same time, just by seeing the pictures you see that the true wealth of this world is found in nature.
I'm so happy to be back with my friends and getting business locked down. We have big plans for 2009. Our vision for RSD is vast and we're going to take it to the next level.
But being in the city is kind of like a funny joke for me.
I love it, the stimulation, the excitement. I do well in big cities and the food and women are amazing.
But I know that I have to spend a huge part of my life in the outdoors. The city is is like an alternate reality and totally unnatural.
I watched a movie while I was in Mexico City called "The 11th Hour" with Leo DiCaprio.
It was phenomenally powerful, especially after I'd just visited so much poverty and social dysfunction.
The most powerful quote for me was basically along these paraphrased lines..."We've lost nature...And now we're needy and searching for something to fill the void...So we're shown countless products that carry the false promise, and we consume endlessly because YOU CANNOT GET ENOUGH OF WHAT YOU DON'T WANT."
That's where my head is at right now.
The world is going down a precarious path, and it looks like it's still going to get a lot worse before it starts to get better.
So as Stephen Covey says "Seek first to understand... and then to be understood."
I need to see the entire world before I turn 30. That way I can start to understand what's going on. Then I can make sharper decisions.
And I need to stay out in nature and keep centring myself. That way when I come back I carry the clarity and intensity I need to make the moves I plan to make in the future.
Anyway kind of a weird blog, introducing some of the ideas that I want to talk about as the week progresses.
Stay tuned.
Tyler
16 comments:
Man, you need to read "Decline of The West" from Oswald Spengler. Don't get confused with title. It's filosophy of history (how cultures change etc). Book is anti liberal, but that doesn't matter. Just to get curious, look at the history tables which are on the end book. It's my favourite book. Have fun.
awesome ! :)
Hi Tyler!
You are a great inspiration.
Come to Hungary.It is a very interesting place to see. You can live at my apartment.Yo
rejtely89@freemail.hu
Amazing stuff Owen! Can't wait to hear more of your perspective on this.
This spoke very powerfully for me because I too just came from a 3rd world place as well as saw the movie.
I believe whatever happening now to our society and to our planet, requires our presence, every single one of us. Whether this awakening and accountability will ever happen, who knows.
Kinda puts things into perspective however, and makes me glad I've looked beyond the little old me.
>YOU CANNOT GET ENOUGH OF WHAT YOU DON'T WANT.
Good line!
>Last year I made the resolution to spend at least 4 months a year travelling third world countries, and although it's always a shock to the system it's been one of the best choices I've ever made.
I really think it's an awesome idea. If you can - you should certainly do this. One note though: is Mexico a 3rd world country? They prosper comaring to really poor countries of Africa, Dominican Republic, etc.
What's considered 2nd world then?
i hope you enjoyed your visit here, and yeah, you forget to come and visit me in chihuas (just kidding)
man, everytime i read the blog , feel like a part of something bigger than me, very cool
axel
Dude you should see a film called "into the wild"... many similar themes as your talking about.
Well it's awesome what you're up to, travelling the world and all. I live in South Africa which is a third world country. It's weird though, there's this crazy contrast here. You get super rich people and you get harsh poverty. All-in-all I'm happy here though, there are many opportunities to live a awesome life if you take them.
We've "lost" nature? That's true wealth? Need it be said that what we "had" when we had nature without industry was a short, nasty lifespan spent toiling away in the fields all day, hoping that we would make it to through the next year?
Tyler, I love your stuff, but weren't you the one who recommended Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged? The key message of that novel, as I understand it, is that every value our lives depend on come from our using reason to transform nature from a hostile wilderness into the farms, cities, and towns that enable us to enjoy massive amounts of life-enhancing wealth: including the planes that enable us to fly to third world countries, and the computers that enable us to write blogs paying tribute to unbridled nature.
covey actually stole that from st. francis of asissi. Seek to understand rather than to be understood. good thought though...
Hey Tyler, if we ever met we would have a good conversation. Right now I am in South America working, from the USA originally. So I'm definitely a gringo, haha, it's funny to be on the other side of the coin as the minority. But that's another issue altogether.
About the differences in wealth and society between 3rd world and the US/Canada. To me it seems like that even though people in less developed parts have less than what we gringos have they are still happy, if not happier. Because maybe they aren't so bogged down in the pursuit of the thing and they appreciate what they have since it wasn't given to them on a silver platter. Also, the culture in Latin America is a lot more united and group oriented. At least the town I am in everyone is friendly and includes everyone, there isn't a "cool" group that excludes the ousiders like you find even in churches in the USA. However, everything is not always rosy, I find there is a lot more corruption here, people will try to screw you out of money if you aren't careful, a less honest attitude. Which maybe explains why there are so many problems in the level of inequality between the rich and poor and the terrorist groups that exist to fight the corruption so rampant in governments.
But one ?, how does this blog connenct to pick up, it seems like more of a life philosophy thing, which is totally cool, I really enjoyed it. Thanks Tyler Durden. That character was fucking tight.
Tyler - what do you do when you travel? Are you getting work done too? Just seeing the sights?
Hey buddy,
Ok i just came across this blog and its freaken awesome. I'm loving the stuff you are talking about.
Thats one of the things that i think travel brings. It gives you a new perspective on the world and it gives you meaning .. if you let it.
I have never really beleived that material things make you happy or give you happiness ... but i definately think that creating meaning in your life does.
Thanks for sharing..
Hot Alpha Female
The Dating Game-Understand The Rules-Learn The Skills
you look ver adorkable(credit: my creative asshole) in those pics
PoP
Nice Photos.
You could seriously be a farmer in the 1st one... :)
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