Welcome to this month's edition of Adventurous Life!
In this issue:
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Ah, Complexity -- Keeping the Humor in Helping Humanity
I don' t know a single traveler or activist who doesn't have a well-defined sense of humor and irony. Okay, I've met a few, but I didn't hang around them for too long. Back at home after traveling and stretching my imagination, I find myself in a quandary: Much as I want to take the world seriously and raise the awareness of folks who haven't had the benefit of absorbing the sights and sounds and smells of the realities of living in not-so-fortunate parts of the world, I am also keenly aware that most people -- those who are comfortable, anyway -- don't really want to hear about it. The stories, yes. Reminders of how our daily actions impact the world around us? Not so much.
One of the pieces of "everyday activism" that I wrestle with on a regular basis is exactly how to balance gentle and respectful reminders and questions with the fact that our worlds often seem far too complex to even consider taking one more thing into account. And there's that inescapable feeling that no matter what one chooses, one is inevitably wrong about something. Which translates into a certain resistance to bothering -- what's the point if we'll just get it wrong?
I had a lovely e-mail in response to last issue's Top Five Ideas to Inspire You, one of which was "start a food fight." After sharing kind comments about the newsletter, the reader, E., gently pointed out that "with all of the poverty and hunger in this world, I would think that a great respect for food -- where it comes from and how many folks are starving for lack of it -- would also be a topic of great importance to you. Food fights show a lack of respect for food and a waste of a precious commodity -- food that nourishes, sustains and strengthens us. I would like to ask you to please, with respect, consider having these types of 'fun' events as topics for your 'ideas to inspire.'"
This started a wonderful discussion in my household. After all, in the words of my partner, I'd been "Busted!" I'd written "start a food fight" in the spirit of childish lack of regard for the "rules" without pausing to think how mired it was in first-world (for lack of a better term) abundance. Which raised the question for me of what it means to have "fun" while still being cognizant of our impact and the interconnectedness of all things (as I tend to think of it). How do we avoid being rule makers in a world that (in my opinion) has far too much to say already about the "right" way to conduct our lives?
The thing I keep coming back to is tolerance -- not just tolerance for other people and different perspectives, but tolerance for ourselves and our own inability to "get it right" all the time. I was delighted to receive E.'s feedback, and grateful for the discussion it started -- it's an anecdote I will be sharing, along with the questions it raises -- for years to come. If I had just slammed my mental doors shut in defense at being "corrected," I would never have added to my own stores of compassion. I would instead have stiffened up a piece of my imagination by not understanding that this was a reminder of the world's complexity and a "we're in this together, how do we proceed?" sort of comment rather than a reproach.
This month, pay attention to your own responses to other people's comments on your actions (and their responses to your comments on theirs). Do certain techniques and approaches work better than others? How do we keep the humor and compassion levels high while still taking the world seriously? Please write and share what you discover!
Looking for an inspiring read? Wendy Knight has compiled her second anthology of parent-child travel adventures. This one is entitled "Far From Home: Father-Daughter Travel Adventures" and can be found on bookshelves across the country (look for my essay "The Alchemy of Dread and Daring" in this collection). Her first was "Making Connections: Mother Daughter Travel Adventures." Both books have received rave reviews.
Stumbled across any books you've found particularly inspiring lately? Movies? Magazines? Web sites? Share the inspiration! Drop me a line with your recommendations, and I'll pass them along to other readers.
The dark-haired, blue-eyed college student raised his bow, aimed at what he’d been told was the direction of the target, and loosed his first arrow. He immediately reached down for another arrow, reloaded, and let fly. A collective gasp went up from his classmates.
The young man was Bob Wheeler, and because he was blind, he’d been put at the end of the row as a safety consideration. He instantly wondered what had happened...
Read the complete article on my web site.
Is your computer getting bored? If the old adage is true that you can make a handkerchief dance by putting a little boogie in it, imagine what it can do with your laptop! Adventurous Life reader Max Lent sent the following suggestions for spicing up your time in front of the monitor:
"At my house, I almost never turn on a radio, but I listen to radio programs several hours a day. I do this by listening to programs over the Web. Once you have tried it, you will never go back to turning your radio dial searching for something listenable. For example, as I write this, I am listening to Otto’s Baroque music from http://www.shoutcast.com. There are no commercials or news casts. There are no membership fees or pledge drives. I’m working long hours these days creating content for my new Web site http://www.travelconsumer.com, so having background music is enjoyable. When I get my fill of Baroque, I switch streams and listen to new age. When I get tired, I listen to world music through http://radio.netscape.com. The African drumming and belly dance much perks me up. During lunch, I often listen to the world news from the BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio to get a non-U.S. media view of happenings in the world. If I want to get an alternative perspective on world news, I listen to one of the Pacifica radio stations that broadcast over the Web through http://pacifica.org. And for progressive radio, tune to Air America's new radio station available on airwaves in LA, Portland, NYC, or Chicago, but online for all of us at http://www.airamericaradio.com."
"Those
who really do not feel themselves lost are losing the art of discovery,
never finding themselves, never coming up against their own reality."
- Jose y Ortega Gassett
Top 5 Ideas to Inspire You This Month
- Take a plate of brownies to a neighbor you haven't met yet and introduce yourself
- Learn to make balloon animals (always popular at holidays)
- Start a regular discussion group at a local coffee shop -- choose your topic, put up signs, alert the media, and see who comes out to play
- Sit quietly for an hour in your favorite chair with a cup of tea and listen to your dreams
- Try a new sport -- how about water aerobics or squash or aikido?
“It’s
never too late to be what you might have been.”
- George Eliot
#171 Draw at least four self-portraits. Use only your left hand for two of them. Use a pencil or use multiple colors -- there is no right way to do this. Display at least one of them on your refrigerator. What does this picture say about how you perceive yourself?
This everyday adventure is from "A New Adventure Every Day: 541 Simple Ways to Live with Pizzazz" by David Silberkleit, excerpted with the author's permission.
About the author:
Judy Wolf is a world traveler, freelance writer, speaker, and whitewater kayak instructor. She's taken numerous, extended solo journeys around the world, traveling by foot, bus, jeep, camel, truck, boat, train, plane, elephant, and bicycle to over 30 countries on five continents. She currently lives in upstate New York with her husband and border collie, where she's working on a book-length travel narrative about her most recent adventures…that is, when she's not plunging off waterfalls or entertaining the dog.
Learn more at www.judywolf.com.
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Copyright © 2004 Judy Wolf
