A quest for meaning, a search for answers, the pursuit of life, beauty and humanity in an inhumane world. *Edit* Do no Harm.
I may very well be staying in the smallest flat in London. Don't get me wrong, it's very cozy and full of love, but in terms of physical dimensions, I believe it's all of 290 square feet. I'm staying with my buddy howie and his girlfriend, and every night I put down the futon and engulf the entirety of their free space. In terms of convenience, I don't think you could find anything better. It's smack dab in the middle of downtown london, easy access to any tube that you may wish to travel on. Their hospitality has been unexpected and beyond what one might ask - you don't know how many times I've tried to pay something only to be waved away and told that because I'm not used to british pounds, I can't be expected to pay. At any rate, I've spent far less in these last few days then I expected, and the time has passed quite pleasantly. Tonight's adventures involved happy hour (2 for 1 coronas), drinks at one bar, drinks at another, emotional dramas and dramatic emotions. All in all good fun and pretty much what I expected when I crossed the pond.
One of the conversations the three of us had dealt with what it takes to change someone's mind. Now this specific conversation was in regards to an unhealthy lifestyle (mine) and what it takes to affect change. Howie has always been quite vocal about my lack of exercise and smoking, however this has little effect on my day to day routine. Tania (his girlfriend) pointed out something that I thought was quite significant: in our own individual world, there seems to be two kinds of advice - one that is external and is readily accepted, and one that is internal to our world and mostly rejected. For example, someone will tell you to go to such and such restaurant and you will willingly try it out, however if the same person tells you to quit smoking, it will be met with orders of magnitude more resistance. So I was struck by this disjunction.. why is some advice accepted and some rejected? Where does someone's suggestions become influential, and where does someone's suggestions become detrimental?
What I figure is that if it's a suggestion to *change* something, then that is always met with resistence. If it's a suggestion to *try* something, then you will always be more open. Perhaps it's our neural pathways, where one path is already set in stone and resisting change, another has not been laid and does not require much effort, as that is what our brain is meant to do.
Right now I'm reading a book on neuralplasticity, where the central thesis is that our brain is completely programmable, and at the whim of our central consciousness. The author of the book believes that the deterministic, materialistic view of our consciousness is a naive one, one that is too rigidly based in the mechanical fundamentals of the universe. I'm inclined to believe him, because the alternative - no freedom of choice - is a universe that I simply cannot fathom. To be honest, I can't think of anything worse in the world then to be some pawn of the universe, unable to determine my own path. It's a fate worse then death because it ultimately makes our lives meaningless. I live for meaning, and if that means I have to have faith in my conscious soul, then I have faith.
Today was one of random encounters and free particles. I went to the Tate art museum in the afternoon - enjoying the wide assortment of modern art that I had never really appreciated before. At one point there was a balcony on which I tried to take a complete landscape photo of southern london, however my program was not up for the task of stitching it together. I enjoyed a traditional english Kebab on the roof of Howie's flat, where we encountered some gents from the other set of flats who share the roof. Many drinks and interesting conversations later, we stumbled to a flat party that was at least five, distinct, cultural zones from home base. It's a bit of an eye opener for me, a simple Canadian from Winnipeg, but it's incredibly enjoyable. The flat party was kicking, the booze flowed freely, the night ultimately fulfilling. Tomorrow the traditional London clubbing experience. Hopefully I'll find time to update tomorrow, however I cannot guarantee the state in which I'll be writing. Who knows what batshit crazy stuff will spew.
I have a confession to make. For the last while my writing has been lackluster, uninspired drivel with no real purpose or direction. From this day on it changes - new environments demand new perceptions. Yesterday, I boarded a creaky old 767 that flew me direct from Winnipeg to London, England. I've been planning my journey to Europe for the better part of 4 years - basically since I got back from a year and a half in Australia. Planning, well that's a generous word. How about a nebulous idea with absolutely no preparation, a flight date, a mad scramble to pack, a series of drunken and not so drunken nights with friends, regrets, hopes, loves, losses and all that fucking jazz. I love to procrastinate, but let me tell you - preparing for an extended journey is something you should be doing months before your departure, not days.
At my age, I really should be thinking about settling down. You know what I'm talking about - the whole career, mortgage payments, big screen TV, car, wife, family etc. I feel drawn though towards a nomadic lifestyle. One with no roots, one with travels and sight-seeing and meeting new people from different countries. Tania, my best bud's girlfriend reminded me today that all the world's a village; I wish to explore every nook and crany. There's just something about being on the road that's exhillarating. Any traveller can tell you that the unknown road ahead becomes a sensual companion; something that thrills as it fulfills and disappoints. When you've visited a foreign country, it's hard to hold onto your preconceived notions. You're forced to evaluate everything you've ever heard or seen on TV and reconcile that perception with the reality of the society around you. For example, today there were more terrorist bombs. Contrary to what I thought would be a ripple of panic, an event on the tip of everyone's tongue, I encountered no such meme. Everyone was sort of going about their business, and if their tube had been affected, they found another way home. Maybe it would have been different if the terrorists had been competent, but as it turned out these copy-cats had neither the intelligence to make a bomb nor the balls to take their life with it. Maybe that's a good thing.
At any rate, my voyage across Europe will start here in Jolly Old England before proceeding to Amsterdam after a week or so. I plan on spending a month enjoying the sights, sounds and tastes of the oh so notorious "A'dam". Afer this, I will be making my way to Romania, hopefully finding an apartment and friends from my WW game. I plan on spending around 6 months (give or take however long my money lasts) before returning to the UK to work on my holiday maker visa. My goal in Romania is to write a book as I believe that this is really the only thing I can do well; my goal for this journey of mine is to "stir shit up". Times are rapidly changing around us as new facets of our "war" become apparent to us. This conflict, this fracas between western and eastern religion is one purely of ideology, and I find myself a warrior armed with my own unique perception. If we don't change the way we look at the world, then we're all going to the figurative hell in a handbasket. This *really* won't be a world that we want to bring future generations into. I'm not claming any kind of special knowledge, however I do have faith in my own view. Faith in my faith to battle faith in theirs. Ideology is the hardest river to divert, yet with patience and vision it can be changed. That's my plan. Grandiose, ego-terrific, a little bit mad, but hey, that's pretty much me in a nutshell.
In an effort to bring awareness to an injustice being done, I feel the need to inform you guys of something occuring between the great nations of Canada and the USA that is emblematic of the current US administration. It may seem like a small, nitpicky issue to you, however when treaties are being ignored and ecological damage is irreversable, people have to stand up and say "this is not right".
The problem is simple - North Dakota is attempting to divert their crappy water into Manitoba.
From the petition to stop this:
The International Joint Commission (IJC) is an independent organization charged with administering the Boundary Waters Treaty which has allowed the resolution of numerous international disputes over shared water resources for nearly a hundred years. During the years of debate over the construction of this outlet, North Dakota has refused to allow review of the Devil’s Lake project by the IJC. By going ahead with the Devils Lake Outlet without proper assessment, North Dakota is endangering not only the downstream environments of North Dakota and Manitoba but also a long-standing, internationally acclaimed environmental agreement.
We, citizens of both the United States of America and Canada, call on President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Paul Martin to agree to submit the Devil’s Lake water diversion project for review by the International Joint Commission, as well as to put a hold on all further construction or opening of the outlet while discussions are ongoing.
