Midair is a strange place. Ever since I wrote the first post, my opportunities of flying have increased. Flying in and out of the city is a good feeling. The views are fabulous and of course, the silence is welcome. But it is the very act of moving which has a profound impact on one’s thinking.
When the mind covers physical distances, it tends to expand. The changing context can drive you to become more alert. Either that or the endless cups of coffee that one keeps switching (this time – CBTL). But a change in environment can do wonders for a body and mind used to routine. A shake up is necessary. Though other aspects do get impacted such as sleep (it’s the caffeine at odd hours, I know) and diet which are more easily controlled with a routine. I would add working out too in an ideal world but my world is far away from ideal.
Travel is transformational and I have been reading a lot about travel recently. The excellent travelogue Travels Across America — Steinback or the more poignant the Art of Travel by Alain De Botton both have left me craving and dreaming about places. In the former, the author sheds his identity as the great writer, takes his dog Charlie and sets out on a long cross country drive across the USA. Describing places, the people in those places and the prejudices of those people – Steinback takes on a tour of America – on a cusp of change.
His honest devotion to Charlie who suffers from ailments to his run-ins with racism, Steinback brings out the joy of moving. In the latter, philosopher de Boton takes us through places with a guide, a famous explorer of the times and using their accounts as an anchor overlays his own experience of the place. There is so much to ponder about when it comes to travel that all travelogues do seem to have the same premise, but yet they are different in their own ways.
That’s the beauty of movement. Each one takes away something different. For many of us it is the awe inspiring feeling for the infinitely small place that we occupy in the grand scheme of things. Or it is the feeling of gratitude at being a little more fortunate for all that we call our own. Travel is not fun always, it is transformational for sure.
As I type this, our aircraft is experiencing solid turbulence. A collective gasp went about the plane as all of us bounced a little in our seats. The snacks service has been suspended and there is a deathly silence. The carefree abandon of many is now replaced with quiet reflection. The mood has shifted. The pilot has announced that turbulence is to be expected for the good part of the journey. But the crew has to make the sale, so they have resumed their service. The way they are balancing themselves is commendable. It is the strange truth of movement. Life is uncertain but you got to keep on going.
Maybe that is the message of travel. One needs to keep going. Once in a while it is nice to settle into a place but one should get going as frequently as one can.