Beyond the Bubble
11 Apr 2011 Leave a Comment
in Aldous Huxley, Consciousness, India 2010, Rishikesh, Yoga Meditation
”To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” – Aldous Huxley
“Don’t drink the water,” “don’t go out by yourself on the streets,” “learn some key phrases in their language,” “don’t eat food outside of the hotel,” “use hand sanitizer,” “take your own pillow and towels” . . . (seriously?!). . . these were all the things I was told before I left on my adventure to India. The list of things to be paranoid about when traveling to any foreign place is endless, if you allow it. It almost makes you wonder why you even considered traveling to begin with! No one can experience life from inside a bubble. You have to reach out beyond the thin film of apprehension and become an active participant to get a pure sense of knowing another life, creating a timeless and personal souvenier.
In my own country of the United States, there is the traditional mixed with the contemporary, extreme wealth and extreme poverty, drinkable and undrinkable water, places where you can and can not walk on the street by yourself, hotel pillows and towels that are poor excuses for comfort, and hand sanitizer is advisable pretty much everywhere. Examining all of these on a superficial point by point basis, it could be any country anywhere really. When I arrived in India, it was to me at once different, and yet, somewhat similar. All these same observations were apparent, but naturally veiled in the context of the culture. It would have been easy to just be an observer, dipping my toe in the rushing current of stimulation that is India; seeing it in terms of comparison to cities and parts of our own country that might have accommodated a resigned sense of comfort. However, I immediately allowed myself to get swept up into the whirlwind, swimming in the sights & sounds, anxious to feel the heart and heat of the culture. I think this is where the problem lies in visiting any foreign place: that we are apprehensively anxious to “see” and “be in” an exotic place, but are afraid to really immerse ourselves in it, fearful we might lose ourselves there, unwilling to be uncomfortable and out of our element for any length of time. As a result, we keep an arm’s length, wandering around, looking, snapping photos so we don’t forget the experience, but not letting any of it permeate the senses that allow us to feel the experience.
Immersing ourselves in another culture can not change the context of our truth. The blueprint of the self won’t be altered simply by will or time. However, experiencing a foreign culture introduces us to, and broadens our understanding of, other ways of life. The clothes, the language, the colors and smells may be different from what we are accustomed to, but underneath these thin veils lies the common thread of humanity and compassion. We are truly all of the same energy, beings of light and love. “Imagine all the people sharing all the world. You may say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us and the world will live as one.” (John Lennon)
