I hate to stereotype, but sometimes you just have to. In this case I’m going to stereotype travelers. Of fellow travelers we meet on the road, we often find more often than not they fit into somewhat of a mould. For example, they are usually professionals, or on their way to becoming professionals. Thus we meet a lot of lawyers, doctors, engineers, teachers and grad students. I’d say the whole works of them have a very leftish view of politics, are spiritual in one way or another but not devout followers of any organized religion, drink beer, and smoke pot.

Being myself an ex-politician, an engineer, and recent pilgrim stumbling down the road of self enlightenment, I find I have a lot in common with the average traveler even without smoking pot. As you can imagine, when you get a big enough group of travelers together, in a chill laid back environment full of cheap booze, it’s easy to start talking in circles and try to solve all the world’s problems.

Here are some thoughts from a group of travelers on a balcony in Caye Caulker:

• The universe is infinitely large and infinitely small; all things in it are infinitely complex and infinitely simple
• The major problems of the world are easy to identify and just as easy to (theoretically) solve
• Even if everyone in the world wanted the world to change in the same way; the world would not change
• You can change the world by changing yourself
• Definition of Evil: when someone tries to do the best thing, but fails to consider the morality of their decision
• Accomplishments bring happiness
• Too many people are addicted to buying new things
• Your life is worth more than anyone else’s life, but nobody’s life is worth less than your own
• All things are relative
• Political correctness is a dangerous excuse to keep the world ignorant
• Discussion tempers the extreme
• It’s one thing to learn, another to apply

I’m sure everyone has similar nights, where you feel like you’ve solved all the worlds problems.  At least until you wake up in the morning.

2 Responses to “Thoughts From the Balcony”

1. Quachie says:

   November 9, 2011 at 9:40 am

   Ahh, but how much of that do you agree with now since you have begun your journey of self discovery?

   Reply
2. Mike Lenzen says:

   November 9, 2011 at 2:11 pm

   They are all a part of the puzzle I guess. I think some key elements such as “all things are relative” and “accomplishments bring happiness” are my biggest tenants right now, but I certainly wouldn’t call myself enlightened yet.

   It’ll be somewhat neat to see where my head is at 6 months or a year from now.

   Reply