The idyllic life you envision exists nowhere, in my humble opinion, except in one’s mind. The incredible vistas of Bhutan, fraught with poverty and political strife and unrest; the amazing shores of Hawaii, where just about every fish in these remote waters tests positive for mercury and other contaminants and an endless drift of plastic blows from land ever ocean-ward, and more washes up on her southern shores from as far away as Asia; where the state government is corrupt and expenses skyrocket for all but the very rich. Lovely Santa Barbara with the horrible Summerland oil fields marring her skyline; Irian Jaya, most recently invaded by the western world’s plastic, televisions, whatnot. New England’s increasingly radical temperature swings.
I sound like a doomsday preacher, but I’m only trying to make a point: if we don’t discover it inside ourselves, I don’t think it much matters what our external environment looks like (save being in the bowels of a massive city somewhere, which would truly feel like death by slow suffocation, to me). Many of us yearn for something other, something else, some kind of unattainable peace and freedom. And I say this from firsthand experience, having lived in some of the most beautiful places on earth! I say this because it’s my daily challenge, my constant practice, to remain in the here and now and find purpose and beauty and peace of mind despite the pressing circumstances of our existence at present. Hoping you find the same, my dear – for if ever there was a constant truth here on this spinning orb, it is that things will change, for better or for what seems like worse, then better, once again!
Beautiful Pololu Valley, Big Island, HI
