Apollo Belvedere / Photo: alun salt

“If life is a journey, then philosophy is like a compass. It helps us to find our way through the jungle of possibilities that life presents.”

With these words, Thomas Knierim articulates his reason for creating The Big View, a website with the goal of “rendering a bird’s eye perspective on various philosophical topics, hence, the name.” Topics as diverse as Space Time, Buddhism, and Greek Philosophy are all presented clearly…and more importantly, concisely.

I caught up with Thomas to discuss the site, the importance of cutting through noise on the web, and the growing realization that everything is connected.

The Interview

BNT: How has philosophy acted as a compass in your life?

THOMAS: I mentioned this because some people believe that philosophy is a boring academic pursuit or perhaps just mind acrobatics. This is a misconception. Philosophy deals with the big questions in life and these questions affect everyone. Philosophy informs us about our limitations and our possibilities.

Thomas Knierim, The Big View

In my case, it has provided me with insight into human nature and with good advice about which goals in life are worthy following. Most people seek happiness in external things, such as wealth, love affairs, lifestyle, adventures, etc., and they put an enormous amount of energy into these pursuits.

True happiness, however, is a state of mind, and as such it does not depend on external conditions. This sounds like a cliché, but it’s true.

Philosophy directs attention away from the external world to the inner world. It directs the attention towards the development of self-knowledge and perfection of mental qualities… which are difficult but worthy goals.

You currently live in Chiang Mai, Thailand. What effect has traveling and living in Southeast Asia had on your own Western worldview? On the other hand, what do you see are the pitfalls of only relying on Eastern ideas?

I am living in Thailand for 16 years, so the Buddhist worldview has shaped my own worldview. If you live in Thailand you are sort of forced to learn Buddhism, because you cannot really understand the Thai culture without understanding Buddhism.

There is also a notable Chinese influence, especially in Bangkok, where I lived before. To experience Asian culture first-hand is quite educating, as it sets things into perspective. Things that I once considered universally valid turned out to be just culturally conditioned. I found Eastern philosophies, especially Buddhism and Taoism, very deep and enriching.

The major trap, on the other hand, is to see Eastern ideas as silver bullets, or magical solutions. Westerners tend to either ignore Eastern ideas altogether or develop disproportionate reverence for them. I think it is always a bad idea to forgo critical analysis.

You also say “Most people with Internet access are familiar with the problem of information overload.” How does information overload affect a person’s ability to discern quality ideas and philosophical teachings from the noise?

The major challenge is probably not to get carried away. There is such an enormous amount of information out there and it is so easy to get lost. This is facilitated by the interactive nature of the Internet and its associativity brought about by the hyperlink.

It’s eerily similar to the way the human mind works. Just as you can get lost in a train of thought, you can get lost surfing web pages. I have observed this process in myself.

For example, when I start looking for a specific piece of information, I inevitably come across some link that sounds interesting. If I decide to follow that link and to dig deeper, I might end up watching a video or reading a page that has little or nothing to do with the initial quest.

Another problem is the sheer amount of information that is available on each topic, which forces us to learn how to select information by specificity, presentation and scope.

How did you decide what philosophies (and philosophers) to include on your site?

I simply chose the topics and philosophers that interested me. Some of the material about Greek philosophy goes back to the pre-Internet Bulletin-board era when I had more or less scholarly (probably less!) discussions with other people interested in ancient philosophy.

Buddha / Photo: dnc

In the physics section, I tried to put well-known science topics into a less rigid philosophical perspective. In the Buddhism section, I tried to create a straightforward introduction that is intelligible to Westerners without any background in Eastern thought.

I had studied Buddhism a few years earlier from a number of books that used complicated language and unfamiliar Pali and Sanskrit terms, so I wanted to avoid that as far as possible. In future, I’d like to add new section about formal logic, Indian philosophy and evolution theory, but unfortunately at this point I don’t have much free time.

I have to ask, since I’m sure it’s a question that has plagued many philosophy archives. In your opinion, why aren’t women philosophers better represented throughout history?

It is not all that surprising, because you could likewise ask why aren’t female politicians, artists, doctors or female scientists better represented throughout history, and the answer is the same.

Throughout the last few thousand years, the patriarchy has dominated human societies. Not every society was patriarchal of course, but the one that led up to present-day Western culture certainly was a patriarchy and a quite rigid one at that.

Women were simply not considered fit to exercise the named professions; they were given little opportunity, little attention, and little credit. They were rarely able to gain public recognition. You only need to look back 100 years in European history to recognize the grip of the patriarchy.

So the grounds for female artists, scientists, philosophers, etc. have been infertile for a really long time. Fortunately, this has changed.

“Everything is connected.” This theme applies to many great philosophies throughout history. Yet it also seems to be the unifying idea of our time: from string theory, to weather patterns, to foreign policy decisions. Do you think humans will fully understand and here’s the key apply this idea in our lifetime?

Yes, I think that people will at least develop an intuitive understanding of interconnectedness. Things have changed, especially due to advancing technology and globalization.

My kids are growing up in a world that is different from the world I grew up in. Today, there is the Internet, there is a global market, and there is an emerging global culture.

My kids are learning three native languages as they’re growing up. They are at home in Asia as well as in Europe. They eat Thai food, Japanese food, German food, whatever. Intuitively, they understand that they are connected to different cultures.

For them, interconnectedness and global thinking will be quite natural.

For more, visit The Big View.

What do you think the importance of “the big view”? Share your thoughts in the comments!

If you grew up in the 90’s, it’s likely your after school hours consisted of the following: Saved By The Bell, Full House, and Family Matters. But there was one show that transcended the corny sitcom genre and was actually clever and consistently funny – The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air.

The success of the show was largely the result of Will Smith’s comedic timing and aw-shucks likability. It wasn’t a surprise then when Will made the leap to the big screen, all the while continuing to release non-offensive rap albums, and befriend all of Hollywood.

These days, while many of the top names have dropped off the A-List, Will Smith remains the world’s most bankable star.

What’s the secret? Apparently, it’s that he’s “willing to die on a treadmill.” See what I mean by watching below.

You have to hand it to Will. His obsessive drive has certainly served him well, and offers a number of takeaway truths for any wisdom seeker.

Feature photo: Andrew Eccles/JBGPhoto.com

What do you think of Will’s wisdom? Share your thoughts in the comments!

God is a popular topic these days. Most people seem to have an opinion on a) what God is, and b) who’s side he (or she) is on.

And thus arises the problem: how can God be on more than one team at the same time? If humans are the sort of species that don’t mind a few glaring illogical realities, than we’d probably get along just fine. Unfortunately, as most of us know, humans aren’t that sort of species.

Instead, it appears ever since the idea of God took hold, we’ve decided to fight about it. The only thing that’s changed is the size of our weapons and the stakes of the conflict.

Luckily, filmmaker Peter Rodger decided it’s time once and for all to explore how God is perceived around the world. The film, premiering this Friday in the US, is Oh My God.

Watch the trailer:

Suitably intrigued, I decided to interview Peter about the film, and his epic experience shooting around the world.

The Interview

BNT: What initially compelled you to start this film?

PETER RODGER: Frustration. I was amazed in a shrinking world of enhanced communication, mankind can be so seemingly narrow minded. There seems to be such a childish schoolyard mentality that permeates our world – I call it the “My God Is greater than your God syndrome.”

Where you have grown men flying airplanes into buildings shouting “God is Great”; where you have the leader of the free world telling the BBC in 2003 that he invaded Iraq because God told him to; where you have the constitution of a country (Iran) that dictates that its supreme leader is God’s representative on earth; where you have young men and women blowing themselves up (and innocent others) to buy a place into heaven.

None of these concepts made any sense to me, so I thought it was about time someone went around the world and asked people what this entity that goes by the name of God means to them.

Did you have any expectations on the journey and what you would learn?

No. I just knew I was going along for an interesting ride. I wanted to rid myself of expectation and see what the experience would throw at me. I had no idea what I would learn when I set out. I was far too concerned about how to make a film out of such a wide, sensitive and seemingly unanswerable question!

Your film features some stunning cinematography and editing – at times resembling a music video. How important was this aesthetic to the content and message of your film?

Filmmaker Peter Rodger

Extremely important. Another reason I had for making the film was to be able to go shoot without clients around my head – make a film where I wanted to point the camera and not because someone was paying me to point the camera. (I’ve directed many commercials!)

The aesthetic became extremely important. There is also a sub plot going on in the film. I wanted to shoot the earth with as much artistic integrity as possible – to wrap the audience in the amazingly diverse beauty that surrounds us – in the guise of a bucolic landscape or the look in a child’s eye.

To use a biblical phrase, the earth became the garden of Eden for me. If you want to explore the entity of God – then open your eyes, grab a camera and shoot it. Music played an enormous part in the process. Film is sound and vision. I would cut sequences with John Hoyt, my editor and then Alex Bubenheim would score to it – but in two instances in the film – we switched.

Alex had come with me on to Australia and Japan and had recorded all sorts of music/vibes/sounds etc that he incorporated into a track – so we cut to the track instead of vice versa – which gives you – as you said – a music video vibe in places. It’s a film full of amazing words and information – throwing 2 sequences into the mix like this has the effect of pulling you back and keeping a pace at the same time.

What were the challenges of travelling with a small crew? What are the advantages?

The challenges were a bad back and having to do EVERYTHING split between myself and my one crew member – Line Producer Patrick Ellis. But it is amazing what training does for you.

Masaii Tribesman

I learnt to put things back! Instead of just leaving a lens cap, or a filter somewhere for some assistant to deal with – I actually PUT IT AWAY! Amazing. It soon became that I could prepare the camera and prep to shoot in complete darkness without thinking, – just by knowing exactly where everything was.

The advantages for the film were amazing. We shot under the radar – no one would know we were making a theatrical movie. We slipped in and out of places, unseen, as tourists or NGO workers or whatever.

Once we walked into the Palestinian Parliamentary building one Thursday afternoon unannounced in Ramalah and got amazing stuff and a great interview with a Hamas leader. If we had a full crew – with assistants and production coordinators, translators and egos – we would have been arrested and locked up – especially as we didn’t have a permit.

In your opinion, why do people all over the world have a need to believe in God?

Because they don’t have the courage to believe in themselves. They have been conditioned to believe in something greater than the sum of all their parts. They are scared of death, and don’t know where they came from.

We are all just primitive little organisms on a big rock in a scary vacuum desperate to have something to hold onto. God, usually in the image of something, and mostly in the image of man, becomes a comfy thing to hold onto. The trouble starts when people hold on so hard they push other human beings away.

What Mankind has to learn is that there is room for us all.

Who were the people you met that appeared the most profoundly at peace? How did their understanding of God (or the divine) contribute towards their peace?

Zen Master Kanju Tanaka from Kyoto Japan. He was wonderful and made so much sense. Being a Zen master he rejects the concept of God. He believes that we are already in paradise – we are already here and conscious now because we have earned our place in paradise – here – already.

For some, life on earth is hell. It is up to the individual to have peace and realize that problems are self created and then even in the most dire situations with the right outlook and in-look we can learn to make our hell – heaven. That concept is very powerful.

At one point in the film, you make that connection that conflict is usually caused by two things: land and religion. I would argue even further – conflict at its core is never about religion. It’s about human insecurities cloaking themselves under religious guise. Do you feel in some ways the search to unite us in the common thread of belief detracts from the social and economic reasons behind world conflicts?

All wars are about money/land and most use religion as the excuse. Throw in emotion and you have a lethal cocktail. Good news is no news.

We are all guilty – filmmakers, journalists, readers and watchers – of that one. Nobody talks about the great charitable work each religious institution executes. They just talk about the guy that blew himself up, and the blood and turmoil he caused. No one mentions institutions like Rabbis and Imams for Peace – they just talk about katyusha rockets and walls.

When it comes to conflict it’s about the club in which people belong – that maim those that don’t belong. So the answer to your question is yes.

Who was the most surprising interview you conducted?

Christian Hernandez, the little boy with cancer. (I am very happy to say he went through a bone marrow transplant and is doing REALLY WELL and he came to a screening last week.) I asked him – “What is your greatest wish today?” His answer blew me away – but you have to go see the film to find out why!

By the end of the film, how did your perception of God change? And what was the most important insight you learned about yourself?

Oh boy! My perception of God melted from any human form into a much more powerful force – a glue if you like – that binds humanity together.

I think Jesus Christ was bang on when he said he was the son of God because I think we’re all the son of God. We are all right now collectively what a lot of people would refer to as God – the Anima Mundi – the reservoir of every thought that has ever taken place in the history of time.

And what was the most important insight I learned about myself? To learn to let go.

Oh My God opens this week. Check the website for showtimes.

What do you think about the diversity of God? Is it a concept humanity needs to let go? Or does it serve a binding purpose?

Photo: Ferne Millen

If you’ve seen the Dalai Lama live, or even online, you can tell right away he’s “real.”

By real I mean he offers no reason to treat him any different than “a simple monk” as he’s fond of saying. His tradition is Buddhism, but his religion is “kindness.”

You’d think his message of universal peace would be enough to warrant his popularity. Yet as Stephen Schettini writes in The Metropolitain, perhaps the real reason for the Dalai Lama’s superstar status is actually: Buddhism.

Visitors to Asia may perceive Buddhism as old-time religion, complete with invisible beings, superstition and intolerance, but scratch beneath the gaudy veneer and you find a thoughtful, healing and wholesome system of thought and daily practice.

In an age when religious faith is on the decline and people are having trouble swallowing its hollow residue, Buddhism offers a spiritual path that’s compatible with scientific enquiry, and perhaps even with twenty-first century realpolitik.

I’m reminded of a recent scene from the awful “Angels and Demons” film – when Ewan McGregor’s priest character is pontificating to the other church clergy about how “science and religion don’t have to fight! They can work together!” However clumsily, the message is meant to answer the age-old dilemma that is suffered by the Abrahamic religions: how do maintain “blind” faith in the age of Reason.

Buddhism, at least in the form popularly adopted by the West, doesn’t have this dilemma. There is no schism between science and religion – and this is key to understanding Buddhism’s popularity. As Stephen Schettini points out:

The Dalai Lama noted three crucial parallels between the Buddhism and modern science. They 1) share a deep suspicion of any notion of absolutes, 2) believe in universal natural laws of cause and effect and 3) depend on an empirical method. You can go a long way on those three premises.

Add to this the Dalai Lama’s brand of inner peace and simple wisdom, and it’s likely he’ll be in the spotlight for some time to come.

As one blogger says “He’s a religious guy who doesn’t support killing or hating people for God. It’s a big improvement.”

The grieving angel / Photo: Theodore Scott / Feature photo: L’enfant terrible

By most accounts, the state of the world is in dire shape. The collective madness of humanity seems unable and perhaps unwilling to change its destructive habits, both on the environment and each other.

But what if we could dig deep into our psyche, to understand the root causes of many of our behaviours on a psychological, spiritual, and cultural level?

That was the goal set forth by Patrick Shen, a documentary filmmaker who set out to uncover the source of “death anxiety” and how it influences our lives on a daily basis. The result: Flight From Death: The Quest For Immortality. (watch the trailer).

I caught up with Patrick to discuss the film, the nature of death anxiety, and how to make our own lives a work of art.

BNT: How did you come up with the concept for Flight From Death?

PATRICK SHEN: I stumbled upon Ernest Becker’s monumental, Pulitzer Prize-winning book Denial of Death one day at a used book store. I had never heard of it, but the title intrigued me and and I had been asking a lot of the same questions that, according to the back cover, this book seemed to address; so I picked it up.

I was totally awakened by it. Reading Denial of Death marked a major intellectual shift in my life. I wanted everyone to know about the ideas in this book and immediately began exploring the possibility of translating it into documentary form. Making the film and getting to explore it more in such an intense way, marked yet another major shift in my life.

You mention the shoot took 4 years. How did the length of the shoot impact your vision of the film? Further, how did you change from the beginning to the end?

The whole production, inclusive of post-production, took about four years. We shot the film over a period of about two and a half years. I remember feeling like the scope of the film kept expanding with every month that went by. The more time we had to think about the movie, the more we wanted to include in it and the more ambitious we became.

Director Patrick Shen

I love that one film critic in Australia would later refer to Flight from Death as “one of the most ambitious movies ever made.” Four years gave us a lot of time to painstakingly craft what is possibly the most thorough introduction to Becker’s ideas that our little brains could possibly muster at the time.

The events of 9/11/01 certainly had an impact on the vision of the film. 9/11 gave us an opportunity to examine Becker’s ideas within the context of a current event that the entire world was now discussing and attempting to process.

As devastated as we were, not to mention distraught over having lost a friend and fellow crew member that day, I knew we needed to act quickly to incorporate it into the movie.

In the film we focus on the work of three experimental social psychologists who created Terror Management Theory based on the ideas of Ernest Becker.

In a nutshell, the theory states that humans, in order to function properly in light of our impending death, need to feel like we are a significant participant in a meaningful worldview. Without the meaningful context within which we live out our lives, we are stripped of all things that make us feel human and must confront the possibility that we are no more significant than an ant or a fern.

Naturally, an attempt to weaken or to suggest that one’s worldview is invalid, is not taken lightly. At the time, the trio of psychologists had already conducted close to 300 experiments to substantiate this claim. After the events of 9/11, we found ourselves in the middle of a terror management theory experiment taking place on a grand scale.

It allowed us to show that Becker’s ideas were as relevant then as they were when Denial of Death was first published in 1973.

I changed pretty dramatically throughout the course of making the film. I began the journey of making Flight from Death with a predominantly academic and intellectual point of view. I was a man of scientific thought and logical inquiry and it was exactly those elements of Becker’s work that had resonated most with me initially.

Upon a closer and more honest investigation of Becker’s work, I began to see that he asks much more of us, beyond just a scientific approach, in our exploration of the problem of the human condition. Many people mistake Denial of Death for being an atheistic text – as I did in the beginning – and often use Becker’s ideas to bolster an atheistic point of view. Becker was not interested in debunking religion, though I think he probably had his doubts.

In fact, I think Becker was very curious about religion, judging by his documented correspondence with a priest for many years and his fondness for reading Psalms. In addition, Becker’s work borrows heavily from Kierkegaard, a devout Christian.

It’s very possible that Becker considered the religious solution as a viable means to combatting our anxiety. I’m not suggesting that we all run out and go to church, but I am suggesting that we approach the problem of death anxiety – of the human condition – with a multi-disciplinary approach, just as Becker had done with his work and just as we should approach all things so significant in scope.

You assert that all culture can be attributed to dealing with death anxiety. Can you elaborate further on your point?

From anthropology we learn that a culture, or shared set of beliefs about the nature of reality, is specific to a particular region or people group. There may be some underlying general commonalities (i.e. Most cultures have a creation story) but the particular beliefs and practices of one culture can differ significantly and often even appear contradictory to those of another.

Filming an interview

As the film points out, a gifted basketball player whom we shower with fame, fortune, and praise in the United States has much less relevance in another culture which might value more the ability to catch a fish or sustain hours of uninterrupted meditation. Success, or heroism, in one culture clearly does not necessarily translate to another.

Becker theorizes that it is our shared set of beliefs that make it possible for us to feel like we are significant participants in a meaningful universe and that without them, we are confronted with the possibility that we are nothing more than a living, breathing, decaying piece of meat no different than the next life form.

Culture then essentially elevates us beyond the physical world – and its limitations along with it (i.e. death) – and provides definition for our symbolic world, the world within which we truly live out our lives.

In the physical world, we’re doomed. We can’t win. We’ll die someday and there’s nothing we can do about it. Culture provides us the rules and the formula by which we can win, at least symbolically.

There are two general methods we employ to do this. Heroism is our attempt to transcend the natural order of things. When we achieve more than what others have, effectively transcending the natural order, we enter into the super-natural. The hero stands out amongst the crowd and achieves a sense of symbolic immortality for now he is more than just that decaying piece of meat and also stands a better chance at never being forgotten.

The other method is to immerse ourselves in a cause or belief system that is larger and more permanent than we are. Organisms often have a better chance at survival when they stick together (i.e. strength in numbers). As symbolic creatures, we do the same to survive.

The more people we surround ourselves with that believe the same things we do about the nature of reality, the more confident we can feel that what we believe is true. More importantly, when we are a part of something that will continue on long after we have gone, we too feel like a part of us will go on after we die.

Gabriel Byrne makes a poignant comment about how editing a film is made up of choices: such as a person walking, or a bird taking flight. He compares these disconnected moments as much like life itself. What are your thoughts on his comment?

I think what he meant was that life is inherent in everything around us. Our mental capacity as humans allows to see that life is an incredible phenomenon and if we take the time to notice it, there’s evidence of this phenomenon infused in every movement we make.

Some immortalists believe that science will eventually eliminate aging and death altogether. In the film, you insist that ending “natural death” may actually increase death anxiety, as we can never eliminate accidental death. What do you say to futurists like Ray Kurzweil who continue to pursue immortality through science?

I think it’s an interesting endeavor for sure and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about what it would be like to live forever.

As you point out in your question however, the potential for us to be robbed of our immortality because of an accidental death is even more terrifying than if we are being robbed of say 50 years. I worry that if we have not found a way to constructively process our death anxiety then we aren’t ready to live forever.

In the film, there is a lot of evidence and experimental data to suggest that much of our aggressive behaviors and the violence in the world stems from our inability to reconcile with death anxiety. If this is true, what will happen if our death anxiety is increased even two-fold, let alone ten or twenty?

How has the film been your own attempt to deal with death anxiety? How has meeting your death head on affected your outlook on life?

Admittedly, this film and all films I make, serve a vital role for me in dealing with my own death anxiety. It is certainly my way of leaving my mark on the world.

Flight From Death / BUY DVD

It’s an attempt at heroism. It’s proof of my existence and that maybe I mattered in some way. The creative solution to the problem of death anxiety is an intriguing one. Van Gogh, and his longing to make his mark, left us with many great works of art.

I think transferring our anxieties onto creative works whether they are artistic endeavors or not, can be a very satisfying, and at the same time, constructive way to deal with death anxiety.

Making Flight from Death and dwelling on death for so many years both heightened my anxiety and at the same time soothed it. Because I’m perhaps more aware of death and how it lurks in every shadow and around every corner, I’m more careful. Because I now have a family, that awareness has heightened even more. It’s sometimes troubling how much it influences me.

The challenge for me is to take that anxiety and rather than let it discourage me from fully engaging the world around me, use it to fuel my passion for living.

I have developed a real passion for creating a masterpiece out of life, which is probably the ultimate creative endeavor. My level of appreciation for the opportunity to continuing living each day has evolved into a genuinely overwhelming sense of gratitude. A healthy awareness of death – surely a constant work-in-progress for us all – has given each moment in my life, on most days, a whole new dimension that is now impossible to ignore.

It struck me that much of what you call “death anxiety” in the film is really what Buddhists would call “ego death anxiety.” Further, Buddhists offer a concrete method, meditation, to transcend the ego and acheive a profound inner calm. I’m curious why you never explored this connection in the film?

It’s an intriguing solution for sure. We actually interviewed two Buddhists in the film, David Loy and a close friend of Becker’s, Ron Leifer.

In Buddhism as you might know there is this notion of “no self”. If our ego does not exist and if we can train ourselves to realize this through meditation and essentially disconnect from our-selves, there will be no death anxiety to contend with. I think the problem lies in the meditation.

To achieve that kind of discipline and consistency of focused (or should I say un-focused?) meditation can take most of us a lifetime to master. Also, the ego and the threat of losing our egos to death, has driven humanity to do great things, to innovate, and achieve great feats. What happens to this spirit of progress and creation when the ego is removed from the equation?

These are all really interesting things to continue discussing.We didn’t explore this nor any other religious solutions in the film because it would have required that the film be twice as long and twice as more expensive to make. It’s really deserving of its own film.

Why have humans continuously chosen a “life destroying illusion” for so many years? What is needed to shake us out of our collective dellusion?

Humans are a pretty immature form of life in the grand scheme of things. We’re like a five year-old being handed the keys to a Corvette.

Our brains are capable of incredible things that are both beautiful and horrific and we haven’t quite figured out how to stay out of trouble. We take the lives of others because we’ve convinced ourselves that killing is a viable means of solving our problems.

Generation after generation, we’ve inherited this belief. It is the animal inside the human that is merely trying to survive and dispose of any threats. If mice had the capacity to build a tank and an atom bomb, I’m sure there would be no cats left in the world. We are, as Freud calls it, a “sick animal”.

In my opinion, what needs to happen is a re-examination of our definition and our relationship with truth. To prove one set of beliefs more true than another is not only unknowable but un-winnable. We’ve tried that route and have created enemies out of one another and have left billions dead in our path.

Our notion of truth, or perhaps we should call it belief, is nothing more than an estimation of reality. There may sometimes be accurate estimations, but they are speculative nonetheless. What we believe to be true as five year-olds is not always the same as what we believe as 70 year-olds.

If belief can change, then belief cannot be absolutely true. It is as James Carse writes in his book The Religious Case Against Belief, “belief is not privileged over knowledge, it is fully open, unfinished, and tentative.”

In other words, truth is a work in progress. Rigid belief leaves no room for our worldviews to be inclusive of other people. We would all forever remain “the other” to one another each living within the context of our exclusive and flawed worldviews.

Learn more about the film at Flight From Death.

What do you think on death anxiety’s influence on each of us? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Community Connection

For further reading, check out an interview with Jason Silva on how science will make you live forever. Then explore Further Conversations On the end of death.

Sometimes, you just have to walk. With this idea mind, Christoph Rehage set out on November 9, 2007 with the goal of crossing 4646km through China. Almost every day, he snapped a photo to document the journey (and his beard growth).

After a year and roughly 4500km, in the desert of Gobi, Chris decided to stop walking. He boarded a plane, shaved his facial hair, and went home.

I caught up with Chris to talk about the journey, the biggest challenges, and the existential feeling every traveler has when they look at a snapshot of themselves “before” their life-altering experience.

BNT: What compelled you to go on this journey?

I am thinking about this question as well. I think it has to do with a spontaneous walk I did in 2003, from Paris to Bad Nenndorf in Germany. The memory has been with me ever since.

Why did you choose foot? What are the benefits of a walking journey?

It is nice to walk towards the horizon, not knowing what’s ahead. The good thing about walking is that it is a rather slow method of movement, so I imagine you have more time to take in more of the details on the way.

Did other famous (or non-famous) long-term foot travelers inspire your trip?

Well, my original walk from Paris to my home was inspired by an article I had read about the Roman armies, who had to walk all around their vast empire back then. That’s when I kind of got the idea. There are two more influential people though: the first one is early 19th century German traveler J.G. Seume, who traveled to Italy and did quite a bit of walking there.

The second and maybe more important one is German journalist M. Holzach, who walked around Germany in the early 80s – without a penny to his name, and wrote a brilliant book about it.

What were some of the biggest challenges of long-term travel on foot? What were your biggest surprises?

The challenges come in different stages, foot-pains being the first one. Then there are all kinds of different pains to follow, hopelessness and self-doubt being the most difficult to overcome. It sounds a bit tacky, but the biggest obstacle is always within ourselves.

You dedicate the film to Teacher Xie; how did you come across him and how did he influence your journey?

As fate would have it, we crossed paths somewhere in the Gobi desert, after I had already been walking for more than a half year. I was then to find out that he had already been walking for 26 years! Teacher Xie taught me something very valuable: “you set the rules yourself” he said, “and you are always free to change them. You only have to know what it is you want!”

You never completed your original route; does that affect your definition of a successful journey?

I don’t know. I have never really thought of it in terms of “success”, I guess.

At the end of your film, you ask the question “was it really me?” which can mean a number of things. What does it mean to you, and how have you changed from the person who started the journey?

I remember it very clearly, when I was about to start walking in Beijing, this whole thing had an immense importance to me. I was ready to put everything on the line for the walk, and I got into huge fights with my family over this. Looking back now, I think that maybe it had to be that way, but I am looking at that face on the starting day, and I recognize something strange in those eyes.

What’s the best part about having a wacky beard?

Finally a question that’s fun! Well, the best part about having a wacky beard is of course the look! I don’t think it made me very attractive at all, but I have always had a strong kind of sympathy for that goofy hairball in the mirror!

Read more about Christoph’s journey on his site The Longest Way.

Cover of Nov’s Wired magazine.

Chances are, you may know someone that has contracted swine flu. There’s also a good chance that they got sick, were laid out for a few days, and then got better (just like the regular flu season).

So why the global hysteria around getting the flu vaccine?

Everytime I turn on the news, the reporters are citing a new study that says H1N1 is even more potent than ever; in fact, it affects YOUNG HEALTHY ADULTS the worst! Public areas are plastered with signs shouting foreboding messages like “Take your life into your own hands. WASH THEM.”

Now, with the “second wave” of the flu season upon us, Obama declares H1N1 a national emergency.

It’s enough to scare everyone into being first in line for the flu vaccine. And that’s exactly what some people have done.

On Saturday, Oct 24, the Omaha News reported that:

Hundreds of people [stood] out in the cold, trying to avoid getting a cold. So many people showed up to get their shots, the clinic was forced to turn dozens away.

And yet…not everyone is buying into the flu shot. In fact, some polls say 48% of Canadians will not get the shot. In the USA, that number has climbed to 60%.

The Culture Of Fear

I’m one of the those Canadians who is suspicious of the flu shot. While I have nothing against vaccination, I find myself at odds with the H1N1 vaccine, likely stemming from a number of factors:

• the vaccine felt rushed out the door, and in fact, had been approved with no testing by Health Canada.
• the severity of the flu seems vastly over-hyped;
• and perhaps most importantly: why has the media been so eager to whip up a culture of fear?

Sure, scary headlines sell newspapers and help their ailing bottom line. But even so, I’m suspicious of a hidden agenda when I see not one, but TWO cover stories on prominent magazines telling me I HAVE to get the flu shot or HUMANITY WILL PERISH.

Take the Wired issue this month. The cover features an innocent child with the word FEAR emblazoned above its head. The lead story is titled: An Epidemic of Fear: How Panicked Parents Skipping Shots Endangers Us All.

Likewise, Maclean’s (Canada’s Time magazine), ran a blood red cover story this week: SWINE FLU FIASCO: Everyone needs the H1N1 vaccine. Says the article:

People are being bombarded by “on the one hand” and “on the other hand” studies and recommendations. “There is confusion,” says Dr. Sarah Kredentser, president of the College of Family Physicians of Canada. “And I think it’s warranted confusion, because the messages keep changing.”

Killing The Shot

I don’t consider myself a conspiracy theorist – which is why I’m not bothering to attribute the vaccine to some nefarious Illuminati plan to initiate a mass die-off before ushering in of the new world order.

Yet everytime I consider changing my mind and getting the shot, I’m hit with another demand to get the vaccine or face CERTAIN DEATH. And so, ironically, my resistance to rolling up my sleeve stems mainly from the frenzy created by public health officials and the media.

This is a huge blunder on their part, explains a Washington Post article from 2005, when the news was all about Avian Flu (remember that one?):

To promote vaccine use, many in the public health community have overstated the risk of flu-related death and the effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing it. While the flu vaccine may have some important benefit (less flu-related illness), we really do not know whether it reduces the risk of death.

The dangers of hyping fear are serious:

Public health officials should not exaggerate risks or benefits to promote vaccination. Exaggeration carries a price: Not only do some people get scared and engage in behaviors that increase their risk (like waiting in a crowded clinic for a flu shot). They may also grow cynical and end up ignoring health messages that really matter.

What do you think? Do you plan on getting the flu shot? Share your thoughts in the comments!

BNT headers through the years.

I remember clearly the day I knew I’d start Brave New Traveler.

I was walking with a friend (and co-worker at the time) Allison Cross, and I was telling her about this idea I had for a travel magazine. Only it wouldn’t be what most travel magazines are about: hot deals, package tours, cheap flights, etc.

This magazine would be about “why we travel.” It would explore all elements of this question, along with the experience of change that is inherent in every journey.

Allison agreed it was an intriguing idea. She asked what I would call it. I’d played with a few ideas over last week, and the one I’d chosen now rolled easily off my tongue:

Brave New Traveler.

A week later, on Oct 10, 2006, I wrote my first post. Considering today’s date, that means we just celebrated our third anniversary.

The content of BNT has certainly expanded over the years. The concept of “inner travel” has grown to encompass not just personal change that happens during travel, but also back home.

After thousands of articles and comments, I like to check in with the readers from time to time. I like to know what’s working, what isn’t, and what you’d like to see more of. It helps myself and co-editor Christine better tailor content that continues to push boundaries and minds.

So this is your chance, dear reader, to let us know what’s on your mind: the good, the bad, and the ugly (hopefully not too much ugly). And thanks again for sticking around. A magazine is nothing without its audience.

Give us your feedback! Tell us what you think of BNT and what you’d like to see in the future.

While some are actually kind of clever, some of them (especially the horrific workplace safety one) are seriously disturbing.

What do you think of these ads? Effective or over the top? Share your thoughts in the comments!

From browsing the Youtube comments on this video, it’s interesting how many people jump to conclusions about the filmmaker’s intent. They believe he’s attempting to prove “God doesn’t exist.”

This is not true. I believe he’s attempting to show why it’s logically incorrect to coerce others into believing God when there’s no real presentation of evidence. God may be true for you, but that doesn’t mean someone else needs to believe for the same reasons.

Community Connection

Need some more philosophy? Don’t miss F. Daniel Harbecke’s classic The Kung Fu Warrior’s Guide To Informal Fallacies and The Kung Fu Warrior’s Guide To Arguing With Logic.

Why does everyone have to have the same cupboard? This seemingly simple question sparks the journey of one kid who grew up under the influence of intolerant and fearful parents.

For another amazing short film, check out Sweet Dreams: An Epic Story About A Traveling Cupcake.

Makes me think there’s a melody all around us… if we listen close enough to hear it.

Want to get even closer with animals? Check out:

• 12 Steps To Healing Our Relationship With Wild Animals
• How To Put A Baby Elephant To Sleep
• Close Encounters: Reconnecting To Animals Through Our Primitive Nature

Following a day in the life of six African people from six different countries, “One Day in Africa” explores the range of diversity on the massive continent.

Previously, I interviewed filmmaker Brook Silva Braga about his experience shooting the film, and how it differed from his backpacker classic A Map For Saturday.

After a successful run at the film festivals, One Day In Africa is now coming to DVD. To celebrate, we’ve giving away 3 copies to lucky contest winners.

CONTEST IS NOW OVER

Here’s the winners!

@cultoftravel
@RyukyuMike
@bryle

HOW DO I KNOW IF I WON?

Winners will be announced at the end of the week. If your account is selected, we’ll get in touch via Twitter.

Watch a recent Time report on the wisdom of Burning Man:

Here are the 5 things stated in the film:

1. get rid of cars
2. encourage self-reliance
3. rethink commerce
4. foster virtue (with shame)
5. encourage art

And perhaps the most important message spoken by Larry Harvey: “What good is this unless it’s about how to live the rest of your life?”

What do you think of the lessons cities can learn from Burning Man? Share in the comments!

Community Connection:

Check out my ode to future friends in Burn Baby Burn: Heading Into The Black Rock Desert. And my post-burn roundup of Burning Man links.

Photo: Burning Blog

Life changing. Mind blowing. Complete insanity. These are just a few of the words I’ve heard tossed about when mentioning Burning Man to those that have made the pilgrimage to the sands of Nevada.

I decided this was my year. It’s time to experience the mayhem and beauty first-hand.

I have no idea what to expect, but I do know that a few familiar faces around Matador Network will be joining me, including Ross Borden and Josh Johnson.

As well I hope to meet up with inspiring travelers from around the web, including Pat the Vagabond, the rest of the crew from Camp Nomadia.

On the eve of such a trip, I find myself reflecting on the many people I’ve recently met in person, or more likely, online. These are people busy doing. They are changing the world in their own way. Or more appropriately, they are changing their own worlds, which in turn affects the world at large.

I can’t say exactly how we cross paths. A meeting through a friend, an article published online, a comment left on a blog. I like to think we’re both putting out the vibes. This in turn, attracts people on a similar wave length. It’s like…science for the spiritual.

Sometimes, we trade ideas for collaboration. We fire each other up with our mutually positive energy. We know there’s a project we could work on… but…

The problem is time. There are only so many hours in the day, and so many ways to spread yourself too thin.

And so, this brief moment of mutual collaboration among like-minded individuals fizzles… perhaps we both sense it’s not going to happen. Part of me feels disappointed, knowing that the chance to work with another’s creativity may have passed.

But another part of me realizes that these moments come and go. The very fact that I’m creating positivity means that other like-minded people will inevitably arise. Not all of them will result in a collaboration. And that’s okay.

When the time is right, we will work together to build something. Or we won’t. It may be just the two of us, or it could be a much larger crew. Which brings me back to Burning Man.

I suspect Burning Man is what you get when a vast amount of people pour their hearts and energy into manifesting the impossible: an alternative city in the middle of the desert.

As I said earlier, I have no idea what to expect, but I have no doubt I will cross paths with an array of enlightening individuals that will challenge, inspire, and most importantly, teach me. In anticipation of these future encounters, I want to offer my sincere gratitude.

I’ll see you in the desert.

- Ian

p.s. I came across this bit of prose and thought it was entirely appropriate to share. I hope you enjoy it.

A SPIRITUAL “CONSPIRACY”

On the surface of our world right now
There is war, violence, and craziness
And things may seem dark.

But calmly and quietly
At the same time
Something is happening underground.

An inner revolution is taking place
And certain individuals
Are being called to a higher light.

It is a silent revolution
From the inside out
From the ground up.

This is a global co-operation
That has sleeper cells in every nation.
It is a planetary Spiritual Conspiracy.

You won’t likely see us on T.V.
You won’t read about us in the newspaper.
You won’t hear from us on the radio.

We don’t seek glory.
We don’t wear any uniform.
We come in all shapes and sizes, colors and styles.

We are in every country and culture of the world
In cities big and small, mountains and valleys
In farms and villages, tribes and remote islands.

Most of us work anonymously
Seeking not recognition of name
But profound transformation of life.

Working quietly behind the scenes
You could pass by one of us on the street
And not even notice.

We go undercover
Not concerned for who takes the final credit
But simply that the work gets done.

Many of us may seem to have normal jobs.
But behind the external storefront
Is where the deeper work takes a place.

With the individual and collective power
Of our minds and hearts
We spread passion, knowledge, and joy to all.

Some call us the Conscious Army
As together
We co-create a new world.

Our orders come from the Spiritual Intelligence Agency
Instructing us to drop soft, secret love bombs
when no one is looking.

Poems ~ Hugs ~ Music ~ Photography ~ Smiles ~ Kind words
Movies ~ Meditation and prayer ~ Dance ~ Websites
Social activism ~ Blogs ~ Random acts of kindness…

We each express ourselves
In our own unique ways
With our own unique gifts and talents.

“Be the change you want to see in the world”
That is the motto that fills our hearts.
We know this is the path to profound transformation.

We know that quietly and humbly
Individually and collectively
We have the power of all the oceans combined.

At first glance our work is not even visible.
It is slow and meticulous
Like the formation of mountains.

And yet with our combined efforts
Entire tectonic plates
Are being shaped and moved for centuries to come.

Love is the religion we come to share
And you don’t need to be highly educated
Or have exceptional knowledge to understand it.

Love arises from the intelligence of the heart
Embedded in the timeless evolutionary pulse
Of all living beings.

Be the change you want to see in the world.
Nobody else can do it for you.
Yet don’t forget, we are all here supporting you.

We are now recruiting.
Perhaps you will join us
Or already have.

For in this spiritual conspiracy
All are welcome, and all are loved.
The door is always open.

~ Author Appropriately Unknown

I don’t know about you, but doesn’t it feel like our society is extraordinarily self-centered? Sure, we pay taxes, donate to charity, send aid to foreign countries… etc.

Yet at the end of the day, our lives seem geared toward looking out for #1: our own personal happiness.

Is there anything wrong with this picture? Not necessarily… unless our own quest for self happiness has been co-opted for the gain of corporations, as explored in this brilliant BBC documentary “The Century Of The Self.”

From the film’s website:

To many in both politics and business, the triumph of the self is the ultimate expression of democracy, where power has finally moved to the people. Certainly the people may feel they are in charge, but are they really?

The Century of the Self tells the untold and sometimes controversial story of the growth of the mass-consumer society in Britain and the United States. How was the all-consuming self created, by whom, and in whose interests?

I highly recommend watching the entire film, with all four episodes below. It offers a fascinating glimpse into the current state of the self and the forces that seek to taint your inner journey.

Episode 1 – Happiness Machines

Episode 2 – The Engineering of Consent

Episode 3 – There is a Policeman Inside All Our Head: He Must Be Destroyed

Episode 4 – Eight People Sipping Wine in Kettering

What do you think of the argument in the film? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Host, Charles Runnette

Earlier this year, I wrote about the vapid show on Travel Channel Bridget’s Sexiest Beaches. Most of you readers agreed with my argument, that we should expect better from the Travel Channel.

Unfortunately, they’ve now given us Confessions Of A Travel Writer.

Hosted by Charles Runnette, the show offers a sneak peek behind the scenes of this “dream job”. The pilot aired last night, and the reactions are now flooding in…and they’re not good.

The World Hum interview with Charles has been flooded with outraged comments:

“Charles comes off as a completely pretentious snob who is quick to ridicule everyone else in order to generate pleasure for himself. I wouldn’t want to follow his advice when travelling. He seems to take no joy in ANYTHING.”

“I’m 20 minutes into this show. I had never heard of Charles Runnette before but I already hate him. What an arrogant, self absorbed, petty jerk.”

“This guy is an arrogant, negative joy-sucking jerk. Please, please don’t ever let him go on another press trip or ever get in front of a camera again. And never interview him again.”

“Huge misfire from the normally dependable Travel Channel. Charles Runnette is like the watery diarrhea you get from eating the wrong food in a foreign country.”

Similar comments were left on Jaunted’s coverage of the show as well.

To be clear, I haven’t actually seen the show myself yet. I’ve only read the reactions of others across the web.

What can we make of this decision by the Travel Channel? Was it actually another blunder? Or a calculated risk to generate an outpouring of negative publicity, and hence, interest in the show?

Share your thoughts in the comments!

Community Connection

If you’d like to check out a show about travel writers that has good reviews, check out Word Travels. And see my behind the scenes photo essay here.

Chances are, you’ve seen one of the massively popular music videos from the Playing For Change project. “Stand By Me” has over 12 million views on Youtube, and defies anyone to watch without chills running down their spine.

In their own words:

Playing for Change is an extraordinary effort to unite musicians and vocalists from diverse parts of the globe, while at the same time seeking to immerse audiences in a multimedia movement to inspire, connect and bring peace to the world through music.

Now, a 57 minute version of the feature length documentary film, “Playing For Change: Peace Through Music,” is airing nationally on PBS throughout August. Check the full schedule here.

Also, the Playing For Change band is going on tour this fall. See if they’re coming to your area.

To celebrate, BNT is giving away 3 copies of the Playing For Change music CD, which also features a performance DVD encompassed in one beautiful package.

WINNER’S ANNOUNCED!

The following people have won the free Playing For Change cd package:

@phoenixis
@photogjenn
@joelrunyon

I’ll be contacting them directly to send their prize. Congrats!

Thanks for spread the word about such an amazing project!

Photo: freestylebmx

Early this year I interviewed Jason Silva, founding producer for Current TV and current host of Still Up. We spoke about his short film, The Immortalists, along with his own take on science’s goal of ending death…forever.

Jason paints a compelling argument. He believes death is an evolutionary flaw that needs to be overcome, rather than satiated by weaker philosophies or religion.

“By labeling death a problem,” he says, “it shifts our complacent attitude about death and turns it into an engineering problem, one that we can solve, much as we have solved impossible problems in the past.”

Since then, Jason’s interview has gnawed at my own personal beliefs on life.

I found similarities in his worldview and my own explorations in Buddhism – both which share the goal of ending our fear of death. Yet, both could not be more different in their approach.

I decided to contact Jason for a follow-up discussion. I start first with my own understanding of the Buddhist’s approach to life, then share Jason’s rebuttal.

The Buddhist: Ian MacKenzie

“Everything changes, nothing remains without change.” – Buddha

Photo: hurleygurley

The first of the Four Noble Truths, as discovered by the Buddha 2500 years ago, is the realization that “life is suffering.” For this reason, many people believe Buddhism is essentially transfixed with suffering.

But this is not the case. In fact, the second noble truth reveals the origin of suffering: attachment.

Why does attachment cause suffering? Because life is inherently transient. Nothing stays the same; not the birds, the trees, your job, friends, even your own thoughts, moment to moment. Our egos like to believe that we’re individuals, that we have an exalted place in the world.

And so we have a difficult time handling all this transience. We cling to what we enjoy and avoid what we don’t.

This is suffering.

While it’s tempting to believe that most people are affected by mortal anxiety, the knowledge they will die someday, I believe the opposite. I think most people vaguely realize they will die, but they don’t seriously contemplate it until they have a near death experience, or they’re on their deathbed.

So the problem is not quantity of life, but rather quality.

Our egos are not content to live with the present moment, instead we grasp at transient moments, never happy, never content. We can’t remain content for more than 10 minutes, let alone infinite.

For Buddhists, enlightenment is the deep realization that nothing is permanent. To fear death is to actually go against the fundamental law of the universe: everything that arises must pass away.

The goal is to become content with this transience, and therefore, content with life. Suddenly there is no more fear; life becomes eternally now. We aren’t worrying about moments beginning and moments ending.

In contrast, the idea of “living forever” seems the ultimate triumph of the mind (ego) winning over the heart (soul). The mind is so terrified of death it refuses to let the soul go. Life would become eternally static. Like a beautiful painting of a sunset…but nothing like a real sunset.

When you step back and attempt to see reality, to imagine yourself in the larger context of life, you realize that there would be no life without death.

Steve Hagen, a Buddhist author, captures it beautifully:

Pick up a flower – a beautiful, living, fresh rose. It smells wonderful. It reveals a lovely rhythm in the swirl of its petals, a rich yet dazzling color, a soft velvety texture. It moves and delights us. The problem is that the rose dies. Its petals fall; it shrivels up; it turns brown and returns to the earth.

One solution to this problem is to ignore the real rose and substitute a plastic one, one that never dies (and never lives). But is a plastic rose what we want? No, of course not. We want the real rose. We want the one that dies. We want it because it dies, because it’s fleeting, because it fades.

It’s this very quality that makes it precious. This is what we want, what each of us is: a living thing that dies.

Perhaps one day, through science, we will finally be able to preserve the body from dying. What then? We’d still have a lot of unconscious people, who now don’t have the face the ultimate moment of awakening…death.

I’m reminded of a quote from John Steinbeck, who spoke about his own impending death in Travels With Charley:

“I see too many men delay their exits with a sickly slow reluctance to leave the stage. It’s bad theater as well as bad living.”

And so, the fear of death is revealed for what it truly is: the ego’s fear of ceasing to exist. The essence of a human is not contained in the mind. It is temporarily channeled into a body for a moment of existence, before sinking back into the ocean of life. As Osho says:

“You have to pass through fear and accept it as a human reality. There is no need to escape from it. What is needed is to go deeper into it, and the deeper you go into your fear the less you will find it is. When you have touched the rock bottom of fear, you will simply laugh, there is nothing to fear.”

- Ian MacKenzie

The Immortalist: Jason Silva

“The philosophy that accepts death must itself be considered dead, its questions meaningless, its consolations worn out.”  – Alan Harrington, The Immortalist.

Jason Silva

The mindset of an Immortalist is simple and straightforward: death is an abhorrent imposition on a species able to reflect and care about meaning.

Creatures that love and dream and create and yearn for something meaningful, eternal and transcendent should not have to suffer despair, decay and death.  We are the arbiters of value in an otherwise meaningless universe.  The fleeting nature of beautiful, transcendent moments feeds the urge for man to scream: “I was here; I felt this and it matters, goddamn it!”

In the face of meaningless extinction, it’s not surprising that mankind has needed to find a justification for his suffering.  Man is the only animal aware of his mortality – and this awareness causes a tremendous amount of anxiety.

As a child I wanted to understand the world. Nothing much has changed – the sense of urgency has not dissipated; I’m still running around trying desperately to understand things.  To have emerged; to be self-aware, to know that I know that I am; all these things were troubling mostly because they fueled the panic over having some semblance of control over my experience. 

I think that when I first understood what love was at a visceral level was when I first grasped the concept of death- death felt real when I pondered losing someone I loved.   Imagining that everything and everyone I loved was temporary was unbearable, even as a young child.

This is not to deny that my life isn’t sunny and lusty, packed with fascinating hours; in fact it is. But when we start to grow a little older, when we pause for just a moment, there begins to intrude on all our scenes a faint disquiet.  

The psychologist Ernest Becker wrote in his pulitzer prize winning book, “The Denial of Death,” that in the face of an acute and agonizing awareness of his mortality, man has developed three main devices to sustain his sanity.  These illusions act as temporary solutions to the problem of death. 

The Religious Solution

The Religious Solution invents the concept of God and projects onto him the power to grant us what we all really want: the ability to bestow eternal life on ourselves an our loved ones; to be freed from disease, decay and death.  

This belief in an all powerful deity made perfect sense during the dark ages when people lived short, miserable, disease-ridden lives. With no explanation for their suffering, people were better able to bear their hardships by having faith in God and believing, that in the end, their gods would ’save’ them. 

However, the gods never came.  Suffering persisted; people lived and people died.  

In an age of science and reason, however, the Religious Solution has all but become obsolete.  The irrationality of religious dogma has become clear in our modern time of scientific enlightenment, and rather than alleviating our anxiety, it has only served to exacerbate it.

Alan Harrington, wrote in the Immortalist, that “Anxiety increases with education. As we grow more sophisticated, ever more ingenious rationalizations are needed to explain death away.” Man still needs something to believe in.

The Romantic Solution 

Enter the The Romantic Solution; the second illusion Becker identifies – when we no longer believe in God, we then turn our lovers into gods and goddesses. We idolize them, write pop songs about being saved by their love, and for a little while we feel immortal; like gods beyond time.  

Becker elaborates: “If the love object is divine perfection, then one’s own self is elevated by joining one’s destiny to it.” All our guilt, fear, even mortality itself can be “purged in a perfect consummation with perfection itself.”  

When in love, man can “forget himself in the delirium of sex, and still be marvelously quickened in the experience”.  We are temporarily relieved from the drag of “the animality that haunts our victory over decay and death.”  When in love, we become immortal gods. 

But no relationship can bear the burden of godhood.  Eventually, ours gods/lovers reveal their clay feet.  It is, as someone once said, the “mortal collision between heaven and halitosis.”  

This is the revelation we all come to in a romantic relationship when sex is revealed to represent “species consciousness;” a mere process of reproduction in service of propagation, not in service of “man as a special cosmic hero with special gifts for the universe…”

Man is revealed to be a mere link in the chain, with no lasting purpose or significance. Passionate love then tends to transition into housekeeping love; boredom and routine coupled with the impossible standards we have for our lovers collides in a flurry of disappointment, and perfection begins to show its cracks. 

This is why most marriages end in divorce and why love doesn’t ever quite seem to last forever.

The Creative Solution

At this point Becker identifies the last illusion man has devised: the Creative Solution.  This explains our urge to leave a legacy; to create a great work of art that has lasting impact and value; in essence to create something that carries our signature and lives on after we’re gone.    

“This is the artist’s way of scribbling ‘Kilroy was here‘ on the wall of the final and irrevocable oblivion through which he must one day pass,” Harrington explains. This is quite touching and clever, but ultimately fails where it counts: still, everyone dies. 

The absurdity and ache of our condition can be summed up by the opening line from the documentary Flight From Death:

“To have emerged from nothing; to have a name, consciousness of self, deep inner feeling; an excruciating yearning for life and self-expression.  And with all this; yet to die.  Human beings find themselves in quite the predicament.  With our minds we have the capacity ponder the infinite, seemingly capable of anything, yet we’re housed in a heart-pumping, breath-gasping, decaying body.  We are godly, yet creaturely.”

The Immortalist Thesis

The time has come for man to get over his cosmic inferiority complex. To rise above his condition – to use technology to extend himself beyond his biological limitations.  Alan Harrington reminds us: “We must never forget we are cosmic revolutionaries, not stooges conscripted to advance a natural order that kills everybody.” 

While Ernest Becker identified our need for heroism and our extensive attempts to satisfy it symbolically, Alan Harrington proposes we move definitively to engineer salvation in the real world; to move directly to physically overcome death itself: “Spend the money, higher the scientists and hunt down death like an outlaw.”  

While some cry heresy and might gasp in protest at the pretense of ‘playing god’, Harrington simply states: “The truth is, of course, that death should no more be considered an acceptable part of life than smallpox or polio, both of which we have managed to bring under control without denouncing ourselves as pretentious.”

What must be eliminated from the human drama is the “inevitability of death as a result and natural end of the aging process.  I am speaking of the inescapable parabolic arching from birth to death–the point is “being alive now, ungoverned by span, cycle or inevitability.”

Alan Harrington also rails against any philosophy that teaches complacency: “All philosophical systems insofar as they teach us sportingly to accept extinction are a waste of time… the wisdom of philosophers may nearly always be found trying to blanket our program to conquer death.”

“Death seems simply to be a return to that unknown inwardness out of which we were born,” state thinkers like Alan Watts.

But Harrington critiques those that embellish ‘nothingness’ as: “Voices preaching false consolation will not help us, no matter how skillfully and soothingly they arrange nothingness. This may be appraised as fine writing, but it serves also to glamorize death, and therefore, in the context of humanity’s mission to conquer death, to weaken and tranquilize our rebellion.”

The Immortalist point of view, then, could be described as a project that uses technology to “Individualize eternity, to stabilize the forms and identities through which the energy of conscious life passes.”  

This is hardly a stretch for human beings, as Harrington proclaims: “We have long since gone beyond the moon, touched down on mars, harnessed nuclear energy, artificially reproduced DNA, and now have the biochemical means to control birth; why should death itself, ‘the last enemy’, be considered beyond conquest?”

I want to leave you with this biting and eloquent passage I read somewhere on the internet:

“There is nothing about death that is less than abominable.  I am forever bewildered by the placating palaver wasted in efforts to quell this irrational horror. The cessation of all that is, the chasm that devours every memory, every fleeting intellection, every redeeming fragment of meaning and love and lust and friendship and hunger and hopeless vitality, and reduces it all to the inconceivable cosmic ash of nothing – That is my enemy.”

Enjoy your day.

- Jason Silva

Conclusion

In the end, there’s no right or wrong answer. It’s up to the reader to decide based on the evidence, and most importantly, their direct experience of following certain beliefs. Keep what works, and discard what doesn’t.

After all, very soon you may have all the time in the world to ponder life’s big questions…

What do you think of the debate on ending death (and the nature of life)? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Photo: catusbones

In my early 20’s, I almost became a nihilist. An existential nihilist to be exact, which argues “life is without meaning.”

I based my belief on the reality I saw around me (or at least on the news): war, violence, and death was everywhere. In the face of such suffering, I couldn’t understand why anything “mattered.” The only logical explanation was that the universe had no purpose.

I quickly realized this mentality was a deep, dark hole, and decided to continue exploring other beliefs on the nature of existence.

Now, looking back 8 years later, I realize it would have been interesting to chronicle my worldview at that time. Like a spiritual diary, I would have been able to study where I came from, and better understand my personal evolution.

Recently, I came across 20 questions that eloquently serve this purpose. Featured in the 2005 documentary film One, these questions were posed to various spiritual leaders of today: from Deepak Chopra, to Ram Dass, to the Dalai Lama.

I realized answering these questions myself would provide a snapshot of my beliefs today. And if I did the exercise again in 5 years, 10 years, 25 years… who knows the insight these polaroids will provide?

If you, dear reader, would like to join me, here’s how:

Instructions

Copy and paste the questions below into a blank document or blog post. Answer each question with as much detail as you like, then publish your answers on your personal blog.

Leave a comment below with a link to your post.

20 Questions For Every Spiritual Seeker

1. Why is there poverty and suffering in the world?
2. What is the relationship between science and religion?
3. Why are so many people depressed?
4. What are we all so afraid of?
5. When is war justifiable?
6. How would God want us to respond to aggression and terrorism?
7. How does one obtain true peace?
8. What does it mean to live in the present moment?
9. What is our greatest distraction?
10. Is current religion serving its purpose?
11. What happens to you after you die?
12. Describe heaven and how to get there.
13. What is the meaning of life?
14. Describe God.
15. What is the greatest quality humans possess?
16. What is it that prevents people from living to their full potential?
17. Noverbally, by motion or gesture only, act out what you believe to be the current condition of the world.
18. What is your one wish for the world?
19. What is wisdom and how do we gain it?
20. Are we all one?

Remember, post a link to your answers in the comments below!

I admit, I’ve had a few daydreams about visiting the mythical Bhutan. After watching this excellent short film from Current on their recent move from monarchy to democracy, it remains just as tempting a destination.

In a country like Burma, under the grip of a tyrannical junta, it’s easy to see why democracy is desirable. But for Bhutan, they see their strife ridden neighbours Nepal and India, and are fearful their “gross national happiness” will be the first thing to go.

The older Bhutanese blame their new ills on television and westernization… unavoidable products of democracy.

What do you think about the tradeoff? For a country like Bhutan, is it better to accept democracy, and self-determination, even if it’s deeply flawed?

Feature photo: Marina & Enrique

Like any historical figure, the Buddha’s life as become a combination of fact and legend. But more importantly, his enlightenment and teachings are just as relevant today as they were when he first discovering them 2500 years ago.

These teachings are summarized in the Four Noble Truths:

1. Life means suffering.
2. The origin of suffering is attachment.
3. The cessation of suffering is attainable.
4. There is a path to end suffering.

Near the end of the film, one of the speakers reveals what I found a most intriguing comment: “It is a great irony that the person who shunned all forms of ritual and personality worship, has became the ultimate figure of personality worship.”

What do you think the Buddha would say to those who treat him as a God?

(Feature image: h.koppdelaney Hattip video: Spiritual Mind)

Dive Deeper

Check out a 13 part series Discovering Buddhism, The Traveler’s Guide to Enlightenment, and The Traveler’s Guide To Karma. Finally, gain some wisdom with The 10 Very Best Zen Stories For Travelers.

If you’re like me, you’ve probably heard of ’string theory’ before. It’s basically the idea that everything (me, you, the universe) is made of tiny strings of vibrating energy. Physicists have dubbed these energy strands “strings.”

But what does that actually mean? And why has it caused a huge uproar in the scientific community?

To answer that question, and share it with the laymen, PBS/Nova produced an excellent series explaining string theory and the wild implications. I found all 3 parts online in their entirety…enjoy!

Part I – Einstein’s Dream

Part II – String’s The Thing

Part III – Welcome To The 11th Dimension

To learn more about the program and string theory, visit Nova’s website The Elegant Universe.

For many, being a travel writer is the proverbial “dream job.” After all, it sounds so romantic: getting paid to travel the world and write about it.

The reality, as revealed by the show Word Travels (now in its third season), is far different. Travel writing is hard work. You dig for stories. You deal with flights, buses, trains, and traffic. You pitch editors, more often denied than accepted. But luckily, this actuality is what makes travel writing so entertaining.

I joined the crew of Word Travels to see for myself how a show about travel writing is put together. The goal? Visit three countries: Georgia, Italy, and Portugal.

Here are my favourite shots from the shoot, offering a glimpse seldom seen by others, and a peek behind the curtain.

1.Tbilisi, Georgia. Robin learns the basics of medieval Georgian swordplay. Sean Cable (director of photography) crouches below, always committed to capturing the best angle.

2.Tibilisi, Georgia. Julia and Paul Vance (sound recordist) take a break from shooting and join a sing-a-long with Georgian metal heads.

3.Countryside, Georgia. Never one to miss an opportunity to fist pump in a massive green field, BNT editor Ian MacKenzie is snapped by Robin. (Photo: Peter Steel)

4.Tibilisi, Georgia. Robin is always ready to use any elements in the scene to tell the story to camera. (Photo: Peter Steel)

5. Lambourghini Plant, Italy. Julia reflects from the floor of the Lambourghini assembly plant, where staggeringly powerful (and expensive) cars are produced.

6. Modena, Italy. Robin and Julia eagerly await their taste of traditional balsamic vinegar, fermented up to 25 years.

7. Modena, Italy. Shooting a travel show isn’t always easy, as this shot reveals. Robin suggests another scene to director Peter Steel, while Julia looks on.

8.Modena, Italy. When ordering a plate of food, be careful what you wish for. Robin shows his astonishment at the amount of meat (which he’ll never eat anyway, as he doesn’t eat pork).

9. Rome, Italy. Julia takes a stab at gladiator training with her instructor Alex.

10. Terceira, Portugal. Paul Vance (sound recordist) scours the crowd and matadors at a bullfight for the perfect shot.

11. Terceira, Portugal. Robin and Ian try not to look afraid before watching the locals in a traditional bull run in the streets. (Photo: Deb Wainwright)

12. Terceira, Portugal. Unfortunately, Paul’s sound equipment became tangled in the feet of a charging bull. A tug of war ensued, with the boom mic (and not Paul) taking the brunt of the attack.

13. Terceira, Portugal. The weather doesn’t always cooperate with a shoot. Robin eyes the rain and wonders when the sun will return.

14. Lisbon, Portugal. Sean Cable is always eager to experiment, including hopping a Segway to enhance a tracking shot.

15. Lisbon, Portugal. Robin describes his experience while on a “blind tour” with Lisbon Walker. The tour aims to use other senses to explore the city.

16. Lisbon, Portugal.High above the city, Robin sits in a window while Sean Cable experiments shooting during “golden hour” – the time just before afternoon becomes dusk. (Photo: Peter Steel)

17. Terceira, Portugal. Robin and Julia share a smile, in the ruins of an old fort. Clearly, they realize they have the best job in the world.

Want more Word Travels? Check their website to see when it’s on in your area. And visit Robin Esrock and Julia Dimon for more from the shows’ venerable hosts.

While clever, the animation is obviously highly selective in the historical dates it chooses. That said, there is still a strong argument for the legalization of the plant – check out an interview with pro-pot activist Rick Steves, and our Guide To Smoking Pot Around the World.

Enjoy the weekend!

A moment’s rest in the Azores, Portugal.

Greetings readers!

You may (or may not) have noticed I haven’t published an editor’s update for almost a month. That’s because I was off gallivanting in TV land, working with the crew on the reality series Word Travels.

Now in its third season, the show follows the talented travel writers Robin Esrock and Julia Dimon as they scope out stories and battle deadlines around the globe. I was privileged enough to work with the small team that makes the magic happen, visiting three countries in 3 weeks: Georgia, Italy and Portugal.

In the coming week I’ll be publishing an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at how a travel show is put together, offering an intimate glimpse into the personalities and process.

In the meantime, feel free to check out my Flickr galleries showing my favourite shots from the trip.

Until then!

- Ian

Read the full dispatch from the BBC here.

Are any of you travelers at the scene?

This is your time to show travel writing can be a political act. Share your photos, videos, thoughts, below!

The dilemma: who wouldn’t want to see this?

Last month, co-editor Christine and I pledged some wacky actions if our RSS subscribers reached 4000 by the end of May. Watch the video here.

The bad news: we didn’t quite hit the goal.

The good news: we still added a few hundred new RSS subscribers!

Also, special thanks to Travel with Oaster and Trip Base, and everyone else who helped spread the word about the campaign.

That leaves me with a dilemma.

Should I forget about posting the video since we didn’t meet the goal? Or should I post it anyway just because it’s cool?

Share your thoughts in the comments!

Last month, Sarah Stuteville covered a Pakistani protest involving women effect political change.

This month, while still reporting from the troubled region, Sarah and her husband were featured on PBS about their experiences covering the failing education system and how it ultimately helps the Taliban.

What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Buddhism remains exotic for some, misunderstood by many. But the truth of the ideas discovered by the first Buddha 2500 years ago remain unmatched in their power to transform.

My own introduction to Buddhism came in the form of rubbing a pocket-sized Buddha’s belly before our high school basketball game. But since then, it took a chance encounter with a book to introduce me to the dhamma (teachings).

Recently, while browsing for SNL’s Motherlover educational video clips, I came across an entire series offering an excellent primer on Buddhism. And best of all… the online version is free.

Watch the entire 13 part series here.

Have you found any other great Buddhism resources online? Share in the comments!

Feature photo: natashalatrasha

The Goal: Reach 4000 RSS Subscribers by May 31, 2009.

In return, here’s what we promise:

• Ian MacKenzie, Editor in Chief, will run joyfully naked down a white sandy beach.
• Christine Garvin, Co-editor, will bend a steel bar with the energy of her neck. Or “neck-ergy” as I call it.

These amazing feats of nakedness and strength will of course be featured in an entertaining and cleverly edited video.

For those not in the know, RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication.” It’s that little orange square that you see on a lot of websites with a number that goes up and down. Here’s a handy explanation.

Subscribe via RSS Reader

Click on the icon and choose your favourite feed reader:

OR Subscribe via Email

How To Help:

Essentially any way possible that aids us in hitting (or exceeding) that number is greatly appreciated. Here’s some specific ideas:

• Email your traveler friends and family
• Post about us on your blog
• Tweet us on Twitter
• Tie a note to your dog’s collar and set him free
• Write a song and upload it to Youtube
• Draw a picture and share it on Flickr
• …and anything else you can think of!

Link Love For Everyone!

All sharable acts of helping us out will be linked to in a celebratory blog post along with our video. So this means we’ll link to your blog post, share your picture, embed your song…you get the idea. So when you post, send us a note to let us know it’s up.

What do you say, readers? Are you with us? If you haven’t yet, grab the BNT RSS Feed here!

From the brilliant web comic xkcd.

On January 19, 1971, two oil tankers collided in San Francisco Bay, creating an enormous oil spill. After seeing the devastating damage, John Francis decided to act.

For the next 22 years, he refused to ride in motorized vehicles. He also spent 17 years voluntarily silent. During this time he walked across 48 states of the USA as well as South America, and even managed to earn a few scholarly degrees along the way.

Watch his story above, and the message he learned from his self-imposed prison.

Learn more at PlanetWalk.org

What do you think of John’s story? Share your thoughts in the comments!

The road trip. In the minds of all people, young and old, it conjures up images of neverending highways, new adventures, and the freedom that comes with a full gas tank (or vegetable tank).

Various films throughout the years have tapped into this sense of freedom. Here’s 5 classic road trip scenes that will have you yearning for the open road.

1. Tommy Boy (1995)

The dynamic duo: Chris Farley and David Spade in their best film. While they tried to follow it up the formula with Black Sheep, it lacked the heart of Tommy Boy. In this scene, they’re on their way to sell brake pads to save Farley’s family company. Laughter ensues.

2. Road Trip (2000)

In an interview I read somewhere, director Todd Philips confessed he wanted to make an homage to films like Fast Times At Ridgemont High and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. (Basically an excuse to show Amy Smart mostly naked).

Yet it’s undeniable the film captures the zest of heading out with your best buddies with little more than a direction and the promise of good times.

3. Dumb And Dumber (1994)

A classic scene in a classic movie. There are so many one-liners from this film still being used today, it rightly stands up as one of the best comedies of the 90’s.

4. Easy Rider (1969)

It’s possible motorcycles sales shot through the roof once these bad-ass opening credits were first shown in theatres. For sheer dripping cool-ness, this scene has yet to be topped. After all, who needs a helmet when you’ve got a handlebar mustache?

5. Good Will Hunting (1997)

“I’ve had to go see about a girl.” With those words, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck cemented their careers for the next 10 years. This final roadtrip scene manages to mist the eyes of even the most emotionless men. SPOILER ALERT: Don’t watch unless you’ve already seen the movie.

How do you like them apples? Any favourite road trip scenes I missed? Share in the comments!

Jumping for joy / Photo Gene

Let’s say you have 20 minutes. You sit down in the middle of a room and tune into the silence. You’re aware of the slightest sounds.

Then…you start speaking your first name out loud.

You play with the different sounds of the word that is your name. Lengthen the vowels. Stress the syllables. Maybe even imagine the word as if it hovers in the air in front of you.

After a while, you might get the feeling you are being “called.” Who is doing the calling? A very existential question. Your voice begins to appear as an “other,” almost a double. Who is this person, you ask?

This is the first experiment that philosopher Roger-Pol Droit describes in his book: Astonish Yourself: 101 Experiments in the Philosophy of Everyday Life

I recently came across an article on Droit, written by Richard Handler, exploring his unconvential ways of stepping outside the mundane.

As a philosopher, Droit is very much under the influence of Eastern philosophy. His intention is to “provoke tiny moments of awareness.” These tiny moments can take a few minutes, a few hours or the rest of your life.

Other experiments mentioned in the article: Peel an apple in your head. Imagine your imminent death. Telephone someone at random. Try to feel eternal. Watch somebody sleeping. Shower with your eyes closed. Become music. Try to measure experience.

All these tasks are meant to provoke a change in the way you see reality.

In fact, the life that we see before us is so obvious, so seemingly boring, that it escapes comprehension almost all the time. That’s the point of the increasing emphasis on what is often called mindfulness, which is sifting through our culture, be it in our gyms and yoga studios, or in psychological journals and certain TV cop shows.

As a traveler, you may think that you’re already challenging your reality. Anytime you step into a new culture, you’re forced to re-evaluate yourself, to hone your awareness.

But as any meditator knows, being mindful is hard work. Thoughts continue to invade your psyche whether you want them to or not. Says Handler:

Paying attention to what’s in front of us takes patience and fortitude. Just try counting to 10, or eating a single raisin, and see if you don’t get distracted by your fitful “monkey mind.”

The good news? It get’s easier with practice.

Similarly, if you were to attempt all 101 of Droit’s experiments in his book, I suspect stepping outside of the mundane would become second nature.

What other ways of experimental travel have you tried? Share your thoughts in the comments!

In the USA, it seems barely a moment passes before you hear references to freedom and liberty. This could be talk about the right of free speech, gun control, property, or any other number of topics.

This is not surprising. The US was built upon the philosophy of liberty. But what does this philosophy even mean? Watch the short film below:

Seems a fair and pleasant way of living, doesn’t it? If we always look out for Number #1, everyone would be better off. Or would they?

Consider this philosophy for anyone who’s traveled to developing countries. The truth is that the world economies are vastly connected – cheap goods in one means cheap labour in another. It becomes soberingly clear that only looking out for ourselves means crippling the well-being of others.

Helen Lindsay agreees. In response to the film, she writes:

Libertarianism does not recognise the interrelatedness and interrelationships between all the people on this planet. It provides a haven for inherently selfish people – people with the ‘cheating’ gene. Unless humans recognise we have an inherent nature for materialism and greediness, which competes with our altruistic tendencies, we are doomed to compete and fight with each other forever.

What do you think of the ideas presented in the video? Is it the ideal system or fundamentally flawed?

Hot off the 2009 SXSW film fesival, “Sweet Deams” by Kirsten Lepore was just named for a Special Jury Award.

The film follows the sugar coated journey of a cupcake who longs to head out on the open sea. When he finally scrapes together the courage to set out, it isn’t long before he is marooned on a lone island.

From there… I won’t spoil the ending for you.

But the film highlights a number of timely themes of travel: the excitement of the journey, the loves we meet abroad, and the knowledge and experience we bring with us when we return home.

What themes did you see in the film? Share your thoughts in the comments!

1. Un-Roadtrip

In April of 2009, Boaz is setting out on an Un-Road Trip. He’s criss-crossing the United States using every mode of transportation except for car. He’ll be traversing dozens of states by kayak, bicycle, dog sled, scooter, hot air balloon, horseback, segway, hang glider, fishing boat, crop duster, and whatever else he can find.

2. Twitchhiker

Paul Smith set out on March 1, 2009 to travel as far around the world as possible in 30 days via Twitter. Last week, he finished.

Here’s what he had to say in his final post: “The Twitchhiker project showed that kindness is universal, that the whole can be infinitely greater than the sum of its parts, and that social media may begin online but it will converge with the real world whenever and wherever you let it.”

3. The Odyssey Expedition

Also in 2009, Graham Hughes aims to set a new world record by setting foot in every nation on Earth in just one year, without flying. He calls his journey The Odyssey Expedition, and is posting frequent blogs and video clips on his adventures.

4. Hitch 50

Scotty and Fiddy started in Times Square, New York with the intention of hitchiking 50 states in 50 days. Hence, the name Hitch50.com. Between Oct-Nov 2006 they managed this feat, and have the hilarious video clips to prove it.

5. One Week Job

Do you know what you want to do with your life? Sean Aiken graduated college and had no clue. So in 2007 he figured he’d find his passion by trying a different job a week for one year. The result One Week Job.

I was actually part of the project and am currently editing the documentary. Stay tuned!

Any outrageous travelers we missed? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Given the current economic climate, it’s interesting to ponder the message of the fisherman. Some might argue that life without striving is a life wasted.

But for anyone who’s ever found a quiet beach and watching the sun go down with a beer Chang, I’d bet they’d beg to differ.

What do you think of the video? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Photo h.koppdelaney

Truth has nothing to do with words. So say the various Zen masters throughout the ages.

Words, in this case, can be likened to a finger pointing at the moon. The finger can point to the moon’s location, but to truly look at the moon, it is necessary to look past the finger.

Similarly, these Zen stories are not truth themselves – they merely aim to illustrate various elements of truth.

“Think of these tales as conversation pieces,” writes John Suler, “as handy tools that you can lift out of your pocket to help you and others talk, think, and laugh about the wondrous and mysterious details of this thing we call Life.”

I chose the following from the brilliant collection 101 Zen Stories, based on the merit they present to travelers of all ages, religions, and nationalities. I follow each with a short commentary on how I interpreted them.

Enjoy! And don’t forget to share your own thoughts at the end of the post.

1. A Cup Of Tea

Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.

Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor’s cup full, and then kept on pouring. The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. “It is overfull. No more will go in!”

“Like this cup,” Nan-in said, “you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?”

The best travelers head out with no preconceptions about the cultures they will visit and the people they will meet. They remember to pack the most important thing: an open mind.

2. Muddy Road

Tanzan and Ekido were once travelling together down a muddy road. A heavy rain was still falling. Coming around a bend, they met a lovely girl in a silk kimono and sash, unable to cross the intersection.

“Come on, girl,” said Tanzan at once. Lifting her in his arms, he carried her over the mud.

Ekido did not speak again until that night when they reached a lodging temple. Then he no longer could restrain himself. “We monks can’t be near females,” he told Tanzan, “especially not young and lovely ones. It is dangerous. Why did you do that?”

“I left the girl there,” said Tanzan. “Are you still carrying her?”

Sometimes the right decision means not following the rules. The important thing is to act, then let it go and move on.

3. The Moon Cannot Be Stolen

Ryokan, a Zen master, lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of a mountain. One evening a thief visited the hut only to discover there was nothing in it to steal.

Ryokan returned and caught him. “You may have come a long way to visit me,” he told the prowler, “and you shoud not return emptyhanded. Please take my clothes as a gift.”

The thief was bewildered. He took the clothes and slunk away.

Ryokan sat naked, watching the moon. “Poor fellow, ” he mused, “I wish I could give him this beautiful moon.”

On the road, don’t be too paranoid about losing your stuff. Material possessions are useful, but pale in comparison to the true riches of a journey.

4. Your Light May Go Out

A student of Tendai, a philosophical school of Buddhism, came to the Zen abode of Gasan as a pupil. When he was departing a few years later, Gasan warned him: “Studying the truth speculatively is useful as a way of collecting preaching material. But remember that unless you meditate constantly you light of truth may go out.”

While traveling, it can be tempting to focus only what’s in your guidebook and on the web. This speculative studying is helpful, but no substitute for using your own awareness as a guide.

5. The Gates of Paradise

A soldier named Nobushige came to Hakuin, and asked: “Is there really a paradise and a hell?”

“Who are you?” inquired Hakuin. “I am a samurai,” the warrior replied.

“You, a soldier!” exclaimed Hakuin. “What kind of ruler would have you as his guard? Your face looks like that of a beggar.” Nobushige became so angry that he began to draw his sword, but Hakuin continued: “So you have a sword! Your weapon is probably much too dull to cut off my head.”

As Nobushige drew his sword Hakuin remarked: “Here open the gates of hell!” At these words the samurai, perceiving the master’s discipline, sheathed his sword and bowed.

“Here open the gates of paradise,” said Hakuin.

The difference between heaven and hell is often a matter of perspective. How will you choose to perceive the experiences of your journey?

6. Killing

Gasan instructed his adherents one day: “Those who speak against killing and who desire to spare the lives of all conscious beings are right. It is good to protect even animals and insects.

But what about those persons who kill time, what about those who are destroying wealth, and those who destroy political economy? We should not overlook them. Furthermore, what of the one who preaches without enlightenment? He is killing Buddhism.”

Be wary of travel companions who speak one way and act another. They can inadvertently kill a trip faster than you think. Learn how to execute your escape.

7. Inch Time Foot Gem

A lord asked Takuan, a Zen teacher, to suggest how he might pass the time. He felt his days very long attending his office and sitting stiffly to receive the homage of others.

Takuan wrote eight Chinese characters and gave them to the man:

Not twice this day
Inch time foot gem.
This day will not come again.
Each minute is worth a priceless gem.

No matter how uncomfortable the bus ride, how horrendous the airline food, or how saggy the bed, remember: this moment will not come again.

8. Learning to Be Silent

The pupils of the Tendai school used to study meditation before Zen entered Japan. Four of them who were intimate friends promised one another to observe seven days of silence.

On the first day all were silent. Their meditation had begun auspiciously, but when night came and the oil lamps were growing dim one of the pupils could not help exclaiming to a servant: “Fix those lamps.”

The second pupils was surprised to hear the first one talk. “We are not supposed to say a word,” he remarked. “You two are stupid. Why did you talk?” asked the third.

“I am the only one who has not talked,” concluded the fourth pupil.

Never be too quick to judge others. Chances are, you’re not the perfect traveler yourself.

9. The Stone Mind

Hogen, a Chinese Zen teacher, lived alone in a small temple in the country. One day four traveling monks appeared and asked if they might make a fire in his yard to warm themselves.

While they were building the fire, Hogen heard them arguing about subjectivity and objectivity. He joined them and said: “There is a big stone. Do you consider it to be inside or outside your mind?”

One of the monks replied: “From the Buddhist viewpoint everything is an objectification of mind, so I would say that the stone is inside my mind.”

“Your head must feel very heavy,” observed Hogen, “if you are carrying around a stone like that in your mind.”

With everyone jumping on the law of attraction bandwagon (The Secret anyone?) it’s easy to believe reality is an illusion, and that you’ve got it all figured out. Maybe…but don’t forget you’re still a human be-ing.

10. Time to Die

Ikkyu, the Zen master, was very clever even as a boy. His teacher had a precious teacup, a rare antique. Ikkyu happened to break this cup and was greatly perplexed. Hearing the footsteps of his teacher, he held the pieces of the cup behind him. When the master appeared, Ikkyu asked: “Why do people have to die?”

“This is natural,” explained the older man. “Everything has to die and has just so long to live.”

Ikkyu, producing the shattered cup, added: “It was time for your cup to die.”

Every trip, even the ones you want to last forever, must inevitably come to an end. That’s not tragic… that’s life. Don’t be afraid to accept when it’s time for your journey to die.

What do you think of these zen stories for travelers? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Also, be sure to check out Awakeblogger’s own 10 best zen story picks.

Pattabhi Jois and students at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in Mysore, India.

Filmmaker Kate Churchill has been practicing yoga for 12 years. In that time, the form and variety of yoga has exploded, but she remains convinced that yoga can transform anyone.

Enter Nick Rosen, a New York journalist and all around skeptic.

He’s fairly certain yoga is good for nothing more than staying limber, but he’s willing to try any school, and meet any guru, to see if it’s more than skin deep. The resulting film, Enlighten Up, is a fascinating journey into the heart and history of yoga.

Watch the trailer:

Surpsingly (at least for me) the film is about more than this ancient spiritual practice.

Nick ends up battling his own psyche as much as his flexibility; and Kate plays a much larger role than she originally intended. Both participants learn that the path into their perfect practice is really a path into themselves.

On the eve of her film’s premiere, I spoke with Kate Churchill in an illuminating interview about life, poses, and the secret of happiness.

BNT: What first attracted you to yoga?

Kate: I started practicing yoga consistently about 12 years ago (it was 7 when I started making this film). After decades of playing sports, my body was starting to fall apart. A yoga studio opened in the neighoborhood and I decided to try it to allieve some of my physical aches and pains.

How did you come up with the idea for Enlighten Up?

Director Kate Churchill with Gurusharanananda at his
ashram in Northern India.

The initial idea for this film came from Tom and Jeanne Hagerty, the Executive Producers, who had gone on their honeymoon to Hawaii and met Norman Allen, an unusual yogi who lives in a remote part of the island.

The following year, they approached me about making a film. At that point, we were all practicing at the same yoga studio, and I don’t think we had any idea what we were endeavoring to do.

What drew you to casting Nick Rosen as the yoga guinea pig? Was there anyone else that came close?

We considered a number of different people. Ultimately we chose Nick for a number of reasons. I liked that he was a journalist, he was good at researching and asking important questions and he was skeptical about yoga.

In the film, you come across a bit like a task-master, keeping Nick to his yoga goals. Did you anticipate that you would need to play this role?

I had never planned to be in this movie. When we set out, I had no idea the conflict between my expectations and Nick’s identity would become such an issue. Ultimately, in the edit room, we realized that conflict was the driving engine of our film.

What was one of the biggest challenges making this film?

The biggest challenge for me was accepting to include the conflict between Nick and me as a vital part of the story. Putting myself in the film, and examining how my actions affected Nick was a very humbling experience.

Throughout the course of the film, Nick learns how yoga intersects with ideas of God and happiness. What did you personally take away from these experiences?

I learned that there are many different ways to find happiness and many different ways to develop a spiritual path. What matters the most is what works for you.

How did your own perception of yoga change throughout the course of the film?

Nick Rosen’s perspective is turned upside down
in Pune, India.

I started out thinking we would find one yoga practice and teacher that would answers all of our questions. I ended up realizing that there is no one teacher or practice that will give me everything I need.

Were there any favourite scenes that had to be cut?

We shot more than 500 hours of material, so there were many interviews and scenes that had to be cut. One scene I really liked that we had to cut was when Nick went to visit Russell Simmons, a dedicated yogi and prominent leader in the hip hop world.

What was the most important insight you learned about yourself?

I learned that my expectations can sabotage my journey, and I can find what I need right in front of me if I am aware.

Enlighten Up premieres April 1, 2009 in New York City. Check out the official website for more upcoming showtimes.

To many, Albert Einstein is an iconic figure. Scientist. Humanist. German-accent-ist.

But he also had the spirit of the traveler, evident in his essay “The World As I See It.”

On being a lone traveler:

My passionate sense of social justice and social responsibility has always contrasted oddly with my pronounced lack of need for direct contact with other human beings and human communities. I am truly a ‘lone traveler’ and have never belonged to my country, my home, my friends, or even my immediate family, with my whole heart; in the face of all these ties, I have never lost a sense of distance and a need for solitude…

On the pursuit of happiness:

I have never looked upon ease and happiness as ends in themselves — this critical basis I call the ideal of a pigsty. The ideals that have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been Kindness, Beauty, and Truth.

Without the sense of kinship with men of like mind, without the occupation with the objective world, the eternally unattainable in the field of art and scientific endeavors, life would have seemed empty to me. The trite objects of human efforts — possessions, outward success, luxury — have always seemed to me contemptible.

On the marvel of life:

The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science. Whoever does not know it and can no longer wonder, no longer marvel, is as good as dead, and his eyes are dimmed.

And finally, on how to be a good person:

It is the duty of every man of good will to strive steadfastly in his own little world to make this teaching of pure humanity a living force, so far as he can. If he makes an honest attempt in this direction without being crushed and trampled under foot by his contemporaries, he may consider himself and the community to which he belongs lucky.

Read the entire essay online here.

Photo: hmvh

The sign is from South Africa, where apparently hijacking is still a serious issue.

To get yourself out of other sticky situations, check out How To Cross Dangerous Border Crossings.

1. Dolphins blowing bubble rings

Filmed at Seaworld, these dolphins effortlessly blow bubble rings and play with them in their tanks.

2. Elephant painting other elephants

These surprisingly beautiful representations of other elephants are so good, the artist gets his own gallery showing.

3. Monkey peforming martial arts

You better wish you don’t meet this monkey in a dark alley.

4. Giraffe refrains from biting annoying tourist

This giraffe demonstrates incredible self control. If a tourist called me a “zebra” I don’t know if I could’ve held myself back.

5. Spiders behaviour on drugs

I know, spiders are technically insects…or wait…arachnids. But this documentary showcases some… unique… behaviour not previously observed in the wild.

Chances are, you’ve watched at least one stunning musical montage produced by the Playing For Change organization.

But have you heard the story behind the story? Bill Moyers, intelligent as always, interviews the project founder Mark Johnson, on the aim and the inspiration behind the journey.

An excerpt:

The idea came about ten years ago, here in New York City. I was in a subway station on my way to work. You know, every day in the subway, people are just running around like crazy to get wherever they have to go.

But this particular day, I was in the subway and I heard these two monks playing music. And they were painted head to toe, all in white, wearing robes. And one of them was playing a nylon guitar and the other one was singing in a language that I didn’t understand and I imagine most people didn’t understand.

You know, there were about 200 people just stopped. Didn’t get on the train and started watching this music. And I looked around and I saw people with tears in their eyes. And I saw jaws dropping. And I just saw this collection.

And it occurred to me that here is a group of people that would normally run by each other. And here they are, collectively coming together. And it’s the music that brought them together.

So it really inspired me. And it occurred to me that when there’s no separation between music and people, when music is just happening and people can walk by and it can affect them, that this is an opportunity for us to really find a way to bring people together.

What do you think of the Playing for Change project? And is it possible to watch any of the clips without getting misty eyed?

Recently, while flipping channels on the tube, I came across a show flashing copious amounts of skin, blonde hair, and inane one-liners like they were going out of style.

My first thought was that I’d landed on The Girls Next Door. But it wasn’t long before I realized I was in fact on The Travel Channel, and the show was the newly launched Bridget’s Sexiest Beaches.

Turns out the show’s host, Bridget Marquardt actually was a Playboy bunny in Hef’s mansion. And now she’s gallivanting around the world, showcasing the world’s beaches at their sexiest.

Or at least, it’s a thin excuse to get mostly naked and rub mud on their bikini clad bodies.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m all for fun and (borderline) nudity… but I suppose I expected more from Travel Channel. With smart shows like Anthony Bourdain, this seems like a dubious addition to their lineup.

As one viewer, Manny, wrote on Bridget’s blog:

Did the intelligence quotient suddenly drop below a 100? I watched the show [and] half an hour was the most I could take of the “airhead acting”. You will notice that most of the talking was done by the [...] natives and not our host. Our host was busy gawking and looking around like a child at Disneyland.

The Travel Channel really needs to evaluate this show because unless they want to appeal to the MTV generation their demographic is not represented here. I am not trying to hate but evaluate and Bridget needs to go back to MTV crowd or other mindless pursuits.

Then again, April writes:

Thanks Bridget. It is nice to watch a beautiful girl and one who is educated to teach us about great places to visit. The Travel Channel picked a great host when they found you.

Am I being too hard on them? What do you think of the new show Bridget’s Sexiest Beaches?

Ian MacKenzie…posing old skool.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from life, it’s never say never.

Also, it’s not a good idea to wash an electric dish pan while it’s still plugged in. But that’s a different story.

More importantly, I stepped away as Editor of BNT back in December 2008. The talented Julie Schwietert took the reins, among her other duties managing the rest of the Matador Network blogs.

Over the past few months, we’ve continued to publish excellent writers on a wide range of topics.

Though we realized something was missing: the personality of having an editor with a face, someone that checks in with the readers now and then to gauge their interests, their reactions, and to thank them for spending their time our sites.

For this reason, I’ve decided to return as Editor-in-Chief of BNT. And I’m bringing Christine Garvin with me, the sassy, yoga-touting, health concious blogger from California.

We’ll be publishing shorter posts, more frequently, along with our regular in-depth pieces.

This new editorial format is complimented by our new layout and site design. Feel free to explore and leave your feedback here.

As always, if you have an article you’d like to contribute, head over to our contributors page.

And if you haven’t yet, make sure to check out our subscription options and have Matador delivered to you!

Photo: Vinzoo

What would Buddha drink? It’s a question with an easy answer, at least according to Fifth Precept of a practicing Buddhist: Do not take intoxicants.

The precept does not cast alcohol as a sin. It stems more from the problems caused by a clouded mind. (Basically, you’re more likely to do something stupid when boozed).

Recently, Ted Rose of the Shambhala Mountain Center wrote a controversial article that believes it is possible to practice “mindful drinking.”

He writes:

Here’s the basic idea: Once a meditator has developed basic Buddhist discipline (known as Hinayana training) and adopted the intention to dedicate his or her life to benefit others (the Mahayana view) the practitioner is ready to incorporate Vajrayana teachings, where the simple prohibitions outlined in the Sutras are re-evaluated.

When a meditator reaches this point, which often takes a number years in the Shambhala tradition, a dangerous substance like alcohol is viewed as a potential aide for the practitioner.

Within the context of strong discipline and clear intention, alcohol holds the possibility of no longer acting as a conventional escape, but instead being a tool for loosening the subtle clinging of ego.

I can see the value of bending the rules. The key is to also apply the other Buddhist concept of the Middle Way.

When traveling, it’s tempting to fall into a pattern of binge drinking around the city every night, then sleeping it off in the hostel bunks. But that lifestyle leads to numerous problems: loss of money, health, and messy relationships that find you with a new conquest every evening.

The flipside is to practice mindful drinking. Be aware of how the alchohol affects your body and mind.

You’ll notice when your mood has been enhanced, and when you’re on the cusp of ending up with your shirt off, doing Jagerbombs on the bar, and wondering what happened to the last four hours.

For further drinking tips, check out The Gutsy Girl’s Guide To Drinking Alone, Tripping Out on the Road, and 5 Survival Tips for How To Travel Hungover.

What do you think – is mindful drinking an oxymoron? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Portraying Africa is a daunting task. Descriptions are often rife with stereotypes of warring tribes, starving children, or the AIDS epidemic.

Outsiders tend to view Africa as a single country, rather than a complex and sprawling continent.

As one satirical writer put it in How To Write About Africa: “Africa is to be pitied, worshipped or dominated. Whichever angle you take, be sure to leave the strong impression that without your intervention [...] Africa is doomed.”

Brook Silva Braga, on the heels of his previous backpacking film A Map For Saturday, decided to tackle the challenge the only way he felt necessary – through the experience of ordinary Africans.

The result: One Day In Africa.

After viewing a pre-release screener, I caught up with Brook for a provocative discussion on the journey through his second film.

BNT: How did you come up with the idea for One Day In Africa?

BROOK: I wanted to travel Africa for awhile and an opportunity came up about a year ago to join a group driving the continent north to south.

From the perspective of a documentary the trip offered a great chance to visit a large part of the continent but the disadvantage of moving through each place pretty quickly. So the solution I came up with was to profile people throughout Africa but only for a single day.

The strategy also put the story very much in their hands because I had less raw material to work with than usual.

How did you decide on your subjects?

How I found people really varied a lot, some I just stumbled upon while others I sought out for some special perspective they had.

As in any film, compelling subjects are very important but I also wanted to avoid the easy traps of filling stereotypical boxes like ‘the guy with AIDS’ and ‘the woman in a refugee camp.’ Instead I was looking for people who could articulate what was important to them and give a sense of what life in their community is like.

Did you find your second film easier or harder than your first?

The first one, A Map for Saturday, was certainly more fun to make because I was living the backpacker life for a year and just generally having a great time.

One Day in Africa was more taxing physically and logistically but from a creative perspective it was probably easier because there was much less raw material and I had the experience of the first film to guide me.

Many people think Africa is dangerous. Did you ever feel unsafe during your shoot?

There were a couple nervous moments in my five months there but nothing really bad ever happened. Africa is much, much safer than most people probably imagine.

I’d argue that Mali is safer than Spain, Kenya is safer than Brazil, Malawi is safer than Thailand. There are certainly pockets of Africa that are among the world’s least safe places but they make up a small percentage of the continent.

Like A Map For Saturday, you play a role in your new film – this time as the unseen interviewer. Why did you decide to include yourself and how did that alter the style/perspective of the film?

I don’t think I’d describe myself as “playing a role” in the film any more than I’d describe Scott Pelley as playing a role in a 60 Minutes story. In fact, its that type of long form journalism that most interests me as a model for good documentaries.

I think interviews are much more interesting if there is someone prodding the subject, acting as a proxy for the viewer, rather than being silent.

At one point you have a tense discussion with Osama in Morocco. He believes Jews were responsible for 9/11 and you clearly disagree with him. As a filmmaker, was there a dilemma whether to remain an “observer” of your subjects or to assert your belief of the facts?

I think the way you phrase that question gets right to my opinion on where to draw this line.

I believe as objective fact that Jews were not responsible for 9/11, I don’t think that’s a “belief,” I think its a fact. At some point you have to make some choices about how you interpret reality and that’s one I’m willing to make.

But I’d also point out in that same exchange Osama presents some interesting thoughts on the appeal of Osama Bin Laden to him and other Muslims and I go out of my way not to contradict his opinions even as I try to draw out the thinking behind them.

Brook shooting a scene.

You mentioned to me that this film “lives or dies by not always making the audience feel how they want to feel.” How did this sentiment play into your portrayal of Africa?

I think the reason I said that is because part of what I was trying to do with One Day in Africa was to prioritize what was important to the subjects rather than the viewers.

There are some powerful points to be scored by exploiting westerners’ sympathy, guilt, or pity when telling stories from the developing world and it was my goal to make it more complicated than that.

I think too many of the words and images coming from Africa originate in one way or another from people who seek donations for a certain cause from the rich world.

I saw my role as providing a channel from Africa to the west that wasn’t influenced by any special interest or agenda.

Were there any favourite scenes that didn’t make the final cut?

There was one compelling scene early in the morning with Titus in Kenya where he describes what he went through during the post-election violence there. But the film is chronological so by revealing the most important details of his story first thing in the morning it didn’t leave much to be told later.

So I finally just had to cut the scene and let material from later in the day reveal the story. The good thing about Titus was he could talk and talk and talk so I got all his stories two or three times during that one day.

What was the most important life lesson you took away from the experience?

My time in Africa often reminded me of what a friend told me after two years in the Peace Corps. She said, “all the liberal volunteers became more conservative and all the conservative volunteers became more liberal.”

I think that general principle extends beyond simple political thought.

I think whatever beliefs you have about people and societies unlike your own, you realize when you spend some time in these places that your ways of thinking about them are simplistic and too often based on a frame of reference that no longer applies when you leave home.

One Day In Africa premieres March 26 at the Cleavand Film Festival. Check the website for an upcoming screening near you.

Read our previous interview with Brook Silva Braga about his first film A Map For Saturday.

Many people would agree we’re in a profound state of flux. Economies around the world are crumbling. Institutions are losing their value. Violence and war are flaring.

Amidst this “chaos,” we have an opportunity to wake up from the collective and individual delusions that keep us from making the shift to a better reality.

Yet, many of us are trapped by the “existential emptiness” we fear is at the end of the tunnel.

As Zen teacher Adyashanti says in the above interview, “The fear of losing our individual identity keeps us from making this shift.” But the irony is that only through confronting our fear can we come to love – and affect profound change.

Watch full interview here.

Looking inward, how do you feel fear affects your decisions day-to-day? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Feature photo: h.knoppdelaney

This is simply too funny not to share.

Free Range Studios, the creative team behind such classics as The Meatrix, put together this clever parody of Star Wars. Their aim is to promote organic food instead of the industrial, chemical-laden food that has come to dominate most grocery stores.

Looking for more food articles on BNT? Check out these classics: The Ultimate Vegan’s Guide To Finding Food On The Road, and Dumpster Diving: The Easiest Way To Find Free Food.

As grotesque as it is mesmerizing, this image shows a Sri Lankan suicide bomber a fraction after the explosive detonates.

From the Telegraph article:

The attack appeared to target six government ministers attending the community event, including the country’s oil and telecommunications ministers. Unconfirmed reports put the toll higher with claims more than 15 had died.

The ministers injured in yesterday’s explosion were part of a large crowd of Muslims celebrating Mawlid, the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed, in Akuressa, a town on the southern tip of Sri Lanka.

A military spokesman said: “definitely it’s LTTE (Tamil Tigers).”

Everyday seems to carry with it the news of another attack, another bomb, somewhere in the world. Violence perpetrated to further an agenda, even a score, or simply to cause chaos.

When I hear of these acts, I can’t help but think of Carl Sagan’s words in the short film, Pale Blue Dot. He says:

The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors, so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot.

Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds.

Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light..

Read the full transcript here.

With dire headlines constantly in the news, it’s easy to feel the world is becoming darker. But if you look close enough, you can see the emergence of unity experiments, all over the globe.

These are creative thinkers, artists, and activists that have come together to promote peace and mutual understanding. Once such group is the Global Oneness Project, who in their own words, are dedicated to:

“…exploring how the radically simple notion of interconnectedness can be lived in our increasingly complex world. We’re traveling the world interviewing people and highlighting organizations that show the diverse ways oneness is expressed in the fields of sustainability, conflict resolution, spirituality, art, agriculture, economics, indigenous culture and social justice.”

The above short film is their flagship piece, answering the question “What would a global transformation look like?”

Watch the film and share your thoughts in the comments!

Filmmaker Jason Silva

Jason Silva is not your average 26 year old.

The Venezuelan-American filmmaker is a prolific “gonzo journalist” and founding producer for Current TV, the groundbreaking network started by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore.

Jason also co-hosted the first ever Pangea Day in 2008.

But lately, Jason’s found a flaw in the human condition that has been troubling him. That flaw is death. He confesses he tried to find answers in a variety of religions and philosophies, until settling on science.

First, watch Jason’s short film “The Immortals”

I caught up with Jason to interview him on his short film, and to uncover the deeper issues on the end of death.

The Interview

BNT: What philosophies did you explore prior to science? What answers didn’t they provide?

JASON: I’ve always been an analytical thinker- trying to understand the human condition. Perhaps it comes from being a bit of a control freak- to understand something gives me the feeling of control.

One of my majors in university was philosophy- I loved existentialism and I loved a course titled “philosophy of space and time.” I was also an avid individualist and read a lot of Ayn Rand’s work.

I loved the idea of man as a heroic being- one that should never bow down before stifling religion or collectivist political tyranny. I was looking for an answer to the problem of existence- I suspected it had something to do with meaning but at the same settled I for mindless hedonism (fun, but ultimately unsatisfying).

Today, however, I know that’s not enough because it doesn’t solve the problem of finitude.

You mention that seeing old photographs and footage fills you with melancholy. How do you feel when looking at photos/videos from previous travels?

Watching old footage from previous travels usually enlivens me and reminds me of the sublime. I become filled with the “happy-sad” sensation- the bitter-sweet euphoria of seeing something inspiring while being aware that the moment is gone.

Old footage gives me a taste of immortality because I get to “return” to a moment, (usually one of revelatory ecstasy)… where I passionately bombarded the camera with exactly why this moment meant something to me- That’s the highest of highs.

What I really like to do is add a piece of music to the footage that elicits precisely the type of visceral feeling that I felt at the moment I recorded the footage.

That’s the point: It provides a forced reflection/examination of a moment that mattered! This prevents me from ever taking perfect moments for granted. The exquisite and the sublime are sacred.

You quote The Immortalist in your film – how did you come across it and why does it resonate with you?

After watching the brilliant film Vanilla Sky, I spent hours on the internet researching Cryonic Suspension.

This idea that we could preserve ourselves until the technology was there to repair the wear and tear of aging and eventual pathology.

Like the lucid dream that was presented in the film, if we removed finitude from the human condition, life could be transformed into an eternal now- no more existential anxiety.

I started reading about Ray Kurzweil and Aubrey de Grey, brilliant thinkers who professed that through scientific engineering we would someday conquer death.

The philosophical implications and motivations behind this, however, were best described by Alan Harrington’s masterpiece, “The Immortalist”- a manifesto of sorts that dared to challenge our cosmic inferiority complex and complacent attitude about our “inevitable” demise, and instead challenged us to engineer (with SCIENCE) an ageless and divine state of being.

This is where science would satisfy the yearnings of existential man, who for too long was suffering as a consequence of being aware of his mortality.

Photo by kangster.

“Eliminating death is playing God, but doing triple bypass surgery is just fine.” This is an excellent argument against the people who believe humans should not tinker with death. In what other ways do we already intervene against the natural biological processes?

I believe humans have always overcome their biological limitations. It is what has brought us out of the caves and onto the moon.

We have cured ourselves of diseases, we fly remarkable machines through the air at 500 miles per hour. We communicate instantly and wirelessly across the world.

Why is it such a stretch to imagine us re-programming our biochemistry (much like computer software) so that we may alleviate suffering, decay, and death?

You explore science’s answer to the “problem” of death. Why is death seen as a problem that needs to be fixed?

Death is a profound tragedy. Human consciousness is basically a profound (and valuable) pattern of information residing in a complex biological machine.

This machine can repair itself for a certain period, but over time it wears out and decays at a faster rate than it can fix itself. This is why we die.

Today, however, we are at the verge of correcting this. Death is the loss of everything that matters- It is our memories, our loves, the images and dreams that define us- the songs that moved us and the films that shaped us. Death takes this all away.

I argue that in the same way we feel compelled to preserve the works of Shakespeare and other great works of art, why shouldn’t we extend this into our physicality?

Besides, by labeling death a problem, it shifts our complacent attitude about death and turns it into an engineering problem, one that we can solve, much as we have solved impossible problems in the past.

You say “evolution can be cruel” since it does not allow for the variable of human consciousness. But many other spiritual teachers believe that human consciousness is the direct result of evolution. How do you reconcile these two views?

Evolution is a blind process which has peaked at human consciousness.

Suddenly we have a species that can reflect on the evolutionary process which has allowed it to emerge, and can make calculated and measured decisions about how to redirect this process to include and take into account “the meaning of individual life” as a variable in the design.

Blind evolution doesn’t care about how much I love my mother- It doesn’t care about my love of theater and learning and reading- evolution cares only about my progeny.

But I, as an arbiter of value and meaning, have decided that I do care about these things and I don’t want to surrender them just because “that’s the way things are.” I say change the way things are.

If the end goal is to “live forever,” what do you think life would be like if immorality is achieved?

Life would be an unending adventure, sculpted moment to moment, building on itself into an ever more sophisticated and complex symphony.

I think Nietzsche said something like this: “Man is walking on a tightrope between ape and Overman.”

Overman is the emergence from within us of something infinitely more sublime than us. It is our potential. It is a divine state of being, what we long for hopelessly in all our churches.

Photo by Guillaume Goyette.

U.S. General Omar N. Bradley once said, “Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants.” To me this can also apply to the search for immortality.

While I agree humans should continue pushing the boundaries of science and technology, I wonder if we’re asking the right questions. Would immortality solve the world’s ills? Would it make us happier? Would it answer the fundamental search for meaning?

Ernest Becker’s masterpiece The Denial of Death presented death anxiety as the primary problem of man and also the root of all evil and anxiety.

He says man creates illusions under which to live in order to distract himself from the awareness of his mortality, which is unbearable.

I believe, along with many others, that eliminating death as a certain consequence of being born would eliminate all of our anxiety and aggressive impulses.

I imagine it would make us all into philosophers and scholars. Joseph Campbell-style heroes returning from the edge of death having become something far greater- an immortal hero.

It would satisfy the primal issue of importance– what Miguel de Unamuno wrote about in “Tragic Sense of Life”– mankind’s necessity for personal immortality.

“Do not go quietly into that good night, rage, rage against the dying of the light” – Dylan Thomas

What do you think about the end of death? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Years ago, I wrote a short story called “The Attic.” I had been reading too much Stephen King at the time, reflected in the subject matter of my own character (a homicidal maniac who kept forgetting his crimes).

But while the story is, sadly, forgettable, I still believe the theory I explored is sound.

“The Attic” is a metaphor for the idea that the human mind can only retain so much information. Sure, it can be packed away somewhere in the bowels of our brains, but our ability to retain, analyze, and process so much data is limited.

Eventually, we’re full.

This leads up to my own announcement: I’m stepping away as Editor of Brave New Traveler.

There’s simply too much to do. Myself and the rest of the Matador folks are planning some major site upgrades across the network, and it’s too much for me to handle at the same time. BNT would suffer my lack of focused attention.

As well, my co-editor Tim Patterson has been gallavanting in the jungles of Southeast Asia.

But take heart – replacing me is the talented and worldly Julie Schwietert, who also manages many of the other channels in the Matador Network. She’s promised to take the reigns with care, and continue publishing spiritual, provocative, and thoughtful articles.

I won’t disapear completely. I’ll continue publishing BNT’s Best of the Week and the odd article here and there.

As for our stable of writers, please submit your future queries through our submission form or directly to julie@matadornetwork.com

Thanks to all wonderful readers and contributors!

Other than fellow foreign backpackers, my early photo albums rarely have shots of actual people.

It’s as if the local populations were non-existent, or at least hiding in their homes whenever I happened to wander into town. This had led to some odd conversations with family and friends after arriving back home. “So…where is everyone?” they’d ask.

The truth of course, was I lacked the confidence to actually snap a person’s photo.

There’s no denying it’s a common invasion of privacy, especially when a number of tourists treat them no different than capturing a photo of the scenery.

As Darren Rowse writes, “I realized that my approach was totally arrogant, disrespectful and very rude. People are not ‘Ëœtourist sites’ – they’re people and they deserve to be treated as such.”

“A much better approach is to take photos in a relational way. This doesn’t mean you need to have talked to them for hours, swapped numbers and told you deepest secrets before photographing them – but it does mean that taking their photograph can actually become a friendly interaction between people from different cultures.”

That’s not to say some people don’t love having their picture taken.

Encounter In Fiji

When hiking into the town of Lovoni on the island of Ovalau, Fiji, I happened upon a group of gardeners at the end of their day.

With little formality, they lined up, hoes slung over their shoulders, and invited me to preserve the memory on my $15 point-and-shoot camera.

I snapped two while they stood with proud smiles on their faces, then promised I would send them copies (which I did).

A few years later I was exploring the ruins of a hilltop temple in Cambodia. While wandering the doorways with my wife, we couldn’t help but notice the presence of two children flitting in our footsteps (though they tried playfully to remain hidden).

We waved hello. The giggled and waved back before disappearing around a rust-coloured corner of the temple wall. I continued to take photographs of the ruins.

Delight In Cambodia

The Cambodian brothers posing.

Eventually they gathered the courage to tug on my shorts and point towards the digital viewer (this time I was armed with a Canon Powershot S80).

Much to their delight, I showed them some photographs. They were clearly enthralled.

While it’s generally understood to always ask permission before taking a child’s photograph, I could see no parents in the vicinity. I took the opportunity to mime my way into asking if they wanted to see themselves in the camera.

They nodded and stood against the temple wall, the older boy with his arm around the younger’s shoulder, a smile on both their lips.

I took a few shots then waved them over. They looked and nodded approvingly, before dashing away into the late afternoon sunshine.

I wanted to send them a few copies but I doubt these children had an email address. Instead we called out goodbye and made our way off the hilltop, down hundreds of steps with ancient serpent statues lining our descent.

Moment In Time

I felt a little guilty for taking their picture without parental permission, even if the parent’s were nowhere to be seen.

Yet if I had attracted negative karma I doubt my wife and I would have been stopped by the three earnest monks we encountered on the way down. Instead, one of them promptly demanding we have our photo taken with them.

Afterwards, one of the monks gave us some gum. Go figure.

For more info, check out Darren Rowse’s excellent advice on “Asking Permission to Photograph People.”

Anyone else have some useful tips or hilarious/embarrassing experiences asking for someone’s photo? Feel free to leave a comment below.

Two years is a long time. That translates into hundreds of hours, blog posts, writers, cups of coffee, and existential angst… but most importantly, it’s a milestone.

When I started BNT back in October 2006, I had no idea if it would be a success. But I certainly knew it had potential. I even promised “Stick along for the ride. I promise it will be a journey.”

Thankfully, I believe BNT has lived up to its original intentions. With the help of co-editor Tim Patterson, and more recently the expansion of the entire Matador Network, the focus of BNT may have shifted, but the heart is in the right place.

A reader wrote in a recent email:

I have been reading Brave New Traveler for just about a year now. The articles that I have come across upon browsing this website have been a delightful surprise. They are some of the most thoughtful and insightful commentaries about the experiences gained from traveling.

Your passion for travel and adventure, matched with your unselfish interest in learning more about the world and others, has generated some thought provoking points. I am constantly challenged to view the world in new ways when I visit Brave New Traveler.

Whenever I am challenged by my counterparts at home about my bold decision to travel abroad (generally I am supported), I revert back to Matador Travel where I can connect with an entire community of people who understand the spirit of adventure.

I want to thank you and the rest of the community at Brave New Traveler for sparking a new generation of travelers. Your integrity in the travel community has not gone unnoticed.

Thanks again for all our readers for making Brave New Traveler (and the entire Matador Network) an amazing community.

P.S. for more video highlights, check out these classic videos

• 100 Subscribers = 1 shot of Vodka
• BNT Surpasses 1000 RSS Subscribers

Many people know Rick Steves as the affable travel writer and host. But in fact, he takes an equally strong lead on being the spokesperson for reforming marijuana laws in the United States.

In this PBS interview, Rick says, “Because I’ve spent a third of my life overseas, where it would be laughable to lock people up for smoking a joint, I’ve got a different take on this.”

Ask the readers: do you think pot should be legalized? How much of your opinion on marijuana is based on accepted societal perceptions?

If there’s one thing I love about politics, it’s the political ads.

Basically you get to distill complex policy decisions into 25-60 second advertisements that will, in all likelihood, be riddled with leaps of logic and poorly constructed arguments.

But hey, it’s television right? Here’s 8 of the most ridiculous political ads we’ve seen so far from the 2008 presidential race.

1. John McCain – Obama The Celebrity

What does Obama have in common with Britney Spears and Paris Hilton? According to this ad, none of them are ready to lead. So it makes sense to put them all together in a political ad.

2. Hillary Clinton – If You Can’t Stand The Heat

The stock market crash. Pearl Harbour. The Cold War. No Gas. Osama Bin Laden. Judging by the onslaught of imagery, you’d think you’re about to watch a documentary on 20th century history. Instead, you get Hillary Clinton.

3. John McCain – Obama Is The One

Another attack on Obama that bizarrely seems to highlight his leadership as “the one.” Oh yes, and there’s Moses.

4. Hillary Clinton – Jack Nicholson Approved

Speaking of movies, Jack Nicholson decided to announce his support for Hillary with an ad highlighting scenes from his distinguished career. Unfortunately, the only thing you come away with is how old Jack looks at the end of the segment.

5. Mike Huckabee – Chuck Norris Approved

A classic. Chuck Norris doesn’t endorse…he tells America how it’s gonna be.

6. John McCain – Obama And Change

Obama wants change. Change apparently means putting your head on the Statue of Liberty? This will leave you scratching your head.

7. John McCain – The Mccain Girls

True, this isn’t a political ad endorsed by any candidate, but it’s too amazing for words. This is why the Internet was invented.

8. Barack Obama – I Got A Crush On Obama

Not to be left out, Obama fans also want to share their love with the world.

Any ridiculous political ads I missed? Share your picks in the comments!

Brook Silva-Braga, filmmaker

The story goes like this: Emmy winning producer Brook Silva-Braga left his cushy gig with the TV network HBO to travel the world with five pounds of clothes and 30 pounds of video equipment.

He left because he wanted to experience the “round-the-world” trip, before life caught up with him and the window of opportunity would be lost forever.

Brook documented the entire journey, and created the soulful film about the experience – titled A Map For Saturday.

I confess. I didn’t want to like the film before I watched it. On some level, I felt the world of backpacking was selfishly my own. To have a filmmaker delve into this world, on his own journey of discovery, felt like he was encroaching on my own experiences.

Turns out: the film is excellent. Beautifully shot. Artfully edited. And profiles what life is truly like on the road.

I felt compelled to contact Brook for an interview about his film. Here’s what we discussed.

BNT: What was the hardest part about deciding to leave your job and travel the world?

Brook: There weren’t negative judgments, really. Everyone was supportive, they just all had reasons why it wasn’t right for them. The only reason I could think of not to go was the damage it could do to the career I’d been working for.

So making the documentary was a way to not feel like I was totally throwing that career away. Overall the decision wasn’t that hard. I got it in my head that an around-the-world trip was something I had to do before I died and this was the best time to do it.

Were there certain pre-conceptions you had about long-term travel and life on the road, that turned out to be totally different than you expected?

I thought it would all be a lot harder than it was. One of the first revelations of my trip was how easy long-term travel can be. The flip side was the loneliness I sometimes felt and probably didn’t fully expect before I left.

Curious children and the camera / Photo Brook Silva-Braga

Which came first, the idea for the trip, or the idea for the documentary?

Like I said, the documentary was really just a way to convince myself the trip wasn’t such a professionally destructive enterprise.

It was a bit of a fools bargain though because these types of independent films have a lot of trouble finding an audience. My ignorance was probably really helpful and I just ended up getting really lucky that it did so well.

What were the biggest challenges of carrying all the gear with you on the road?

Well it meant I had to be pretty ruthless with my packing of “discretionary items.” I only had about five pounds of clothes and no tent or even sleeping bag. But I found there’s almost nothing you can’t get by without.

At one point in your film, you talk about how Americans are conditioned to “binge vacation” – that is, cramming their escape into 2 weeks per year, before coming back to the daily grind. Why do you think Americans trade their free time for money/job security?

It’s in our culture. I read awhile ago that the hourly productivity of American and European workers is equal but we’re richer largely because we work more hours.

I just came from Africa where there’s clearly a prioritizing of free time over work despite the poor economic conditions so many Africans face.

There’s no simple way to explain why one culture develops one way or another, just look at how much more common long-term travel is for Canadians than Americans despite all the connections between the U.S. and Canada.

But America’s hard work has given us a prosperity that allows us to enjoy more free time if we curtail our consumption. The lure of consumption must be great (or perhaps people are unaware of the joys of personal time) because there sure is a lot consuming going on.

Who benefits from pushing that type of mentality?

Well you seem to be leading me towards an economic/sociological judgment that I’m probably not qualified to make. On a macro scale, certainly our country’s economic strength has been created by the commitment to work (and consumption) of Americans. My personal experience though is that I’m happier when I work and consume a bit less.

What’s the most effective way to show other people that long-term travel isn’t so scary?

Well I suppose it depends on the type of fear. My sister is afraid of dirty hostel bathrooms. Some friends are afraid of not having a home to return to at night, or a job to go back to at the end of their trip.

To me the most powerful evidence in support of long-term travel is this: I’ve never met someone who gave it a try and didn’t like it. It’s only people who don’t go who can list all the problems with it.

You’ve just got back from a 5 month trip to Africa working on your next documentary. Any hint as to what’s it’s about?

Yeah, its going to be called “One Day in Africa” and follow five or six people from different parts of the continent on a single day in their life.

There’s a college student, a rural farmer, an expecting mother. My hope is to show a more nuanced version of life in Africa than the devastatingly dire or falsely hopeful stories we see so often.

It should hit film festivals in early ‘09 and a trailer should make it to cyberspace this fall. I need to go edit!

For more Brooke Silva-Braga, check out his personal site and the film A Map For Saturday.

Feature image by Jay Russell

It was a Monday morning in May of 1969 and the then-14-year-old Levitan should have been getting ready to go to school.

Instead he grabbed his brother’s Super-8 camera and at 7am headed downtown to the King Edward Hotel where he had a sneaking suspicion John Lennon might be after hearing the Beatle had been spotted the night before at Toronto’s Pearson Airport.

Levitan entered the hotel, zoomed up to the top floor, and knocked on every door, hoping one would lead to the musical icon he’d always dreamed of meeting. A housekeeper saw him and asked if he was looking for ‘the Beatle.’

He said he was and she directed him to another room a few floors down. He saw Yoko Ono’s daughter Kyoko playing outside one of the rooms and knew he’d found “the centre of all things.”

Read the full article from CityNews.

If that wasn’t enough food for thought, consider this quote from Steven Yates in “The Boiling Frog Syndrome,” where he mirrors John in describing the problem with violent revolutions:

Large scale revolutions attempting to change all the institutions of society at once make it impossible for anyone – including the revolutionaries – to plan rationally. This is why, with very rare exceptions such as our own War for American Independence, they tend to leave everything worse off than it was before…

Thus revolutions tend to bring about bloody dictatorships rather than improved social systems by forcing abrupt change on entire, complex societies (political arrangements, economic relations, etc., at multiple levels) and they destabilize everything.

Relations that have formed over generations are suddenly broken apart. Human beings, like all systems, dislike instability intensely. In practice, they will turn to the first person who promises to restore stability to the system, and that person is usually a dictator who clamps down on the entire society from the center.

What do you think of Lennon’s thoughts on creating sustainable peace? Share in the comments!

Atop a sand dune along the Oregon Coast

A few readers may have noticed last week was a little sparse in Brave New Traveler updates.

This was not intentional. Basically I had future-posted new articles throughout the week, but some decided not to publish.

And I wasn’t around to check out the issue because I was road-tripping to San Francisco to meet much of the Matador Crew for the first time.

VIEW THE ROADTRIP PHOTO ALBUM

I’ve been working virtually with most of the team since BNT joined the network back in January, and since then I’ve known the other editors (and writers) entirely by their voices. What a trip to finally meet them in person, and open up a whole new dimension to our interaction.

It was my first time to San Francisco as well. The big event held Saturday night was the Matador Party, a fundraiser to send inner-city youth abroad for travel experiences of their own (via the Matador Travel Scholarship).

Now, after the roadtrip, I’m back home and gearing up for some big posts on BNT. Also, I’m always looking for feedback from the readers on what you like, what you don’t like, and what you’d like to see develop in the near future.

If you have any article ideas, check out our contributor guidelines, and send in your pitches!

Until next time…

Carving up the globe. Image from Emory Libraries

I sometimes find myself at odds with the concept of nationalism. This is much more apparent when traveling abroad.

Suddenly, it’s easy to believe that, as an ambassador for your country, you have certain immutable qualities shared by all people from your humble area of the planet.

Canadians are polite. Americans are arrogant. Germans are efficient. The list goes on.

That’s the relatively benign side of nationalism.

The ugly side manifests itself as the belief that your people are somehow “chosen” in the eyes of God, or the universe. And with the declaration of “you” the idea of “them” quickly follows. A separation grows between the shared human community.

As Carl Sagan wrote in his1974 book, Broca’s Brain:

Much of human history can, I think, be described as a gradual and sometimes painful liberation from provincialism, the emerging awareness that there is more to the world than was generally believes by our ancestors. With awesome ethnocentrism, tribes all over the Earth called themselves “the people” or “all men,” relegating other groups of humans with comparable accomplishments to subhuman status.

Such views or their equivalent are only slowly changing, and it is possible to see some of the roots of racism and nationalism in their pervasive early acceptance by virtually all human communities. But we live in an extraordinary time, when technological advances and cultural relativism have made such ethnocentrism much more difficult to sustain.

The view is emerging that we all share a common life raft in a cosmic ocean, that the Earth is, after all, a small place with limited resources, that our technology has now attained such powers that we are able to affect profoundly the environment of our tiny planet.

With that in mind, consider the following question:

What good is nationalism in a global society?

Let’s get the discussion going. Share your thoughts in the comments!

And if you’ve got an idea for upcoming “Ask The Reader” questions, send me an email.

Tim and Ian have the whole world in their hands.

For the next few months, things will be a little different around BNT.

Co-editor (and all around nice guy) Tim Patterson will be on the road, leading a tour with the youth group Where There Be Dragons.

Fortunately for him, he’ll be deep in the nether regions of Cambodia, and unlikely to have access to reliable WIFI. So during the journey, Tim will be temporary relinquishing his editorial duties for BNT, leaving it up to me to hold down the metaphorical ship.

Don’t worry, dear readers. I edited the magazine alone during the first 12 months, and I can certainly do it again. But this time, I’ll have the support of the rest of the Matador Network team: talented editors, writers, and genuine individuals.

So as Tim waits for his flight to take him away, I want to wish him an excellent trip! And there’ll be plenty of work for him…when he returns.

Feel like giving Tim some love? Share your best wishes in the comments!

Photo by Jayray24

From time to time, I’ve posted various articles directly asking the readers to give their opinions: from “did you achieve your travel dream?” to “what’s the worst thing that’s attacked you?”

Now I’ve decided to make a concerted effort to challenge you more frequently, starting right now.

The issue I’m asking is the age old dilemma faced by many travelers in poorer countries of the world.

We’ve published a few articles in the past on this issue, including:

• Matt Harding’s Moral Dilemma
• The Secret To Avoid Beggars
• Lessons Of Hope From “The Kid” Of Saigon.

One camp usually says “Yes, it’s the least you can do for their suffering.” While another steadfastly believes “Giving to beggars only perpetuates the problem!”

But imagine, for a moment, the situation as it usually happens. You’re high on life, exploring a new city street for the first time, eyes never resting as you survey the colours, hear the sounds…until suddenly, you’re confronted by a voice.

You turn. It’s a person. A human being. They softly ask you for money…to help their child get food, to replace their leg blown off my a land mine. They ask for money because they know you have it.

Your mind races over a number of questions: is this person really poor? Are they faking it? Will my money make a difference? I’m just a tourist, why is this my business?

Or perhaps you feel guilty. After all, you’re living it up on vacation. You have so much and this person has so little. Will you really miss a few dollars from your pocket?

When you’re face to face with a very simple question, the answer becomes more complex.

How do you decide whether or not to give to beggars?

Let’s get the discussion going. Share your thoughts in the comments!

And if you’ve got an idea for upcoming “Ask The Reader” questions, send me an email.

My English teacher once told me that good short stories were the ones that spoke to universal truths.

These were the stories that go beyond mere characters and their antics through an imaginary universe. They offer an insight into the human condition: what is life? what is truth? what is reality?

The same could be said for memorable films. Only films convey their meaning in a more sensory way – using both audio and visual elements to enter the mind of the viewer.

And perhaps even shift your perspective.

The following 10 films are chosen because they shed light on the forces at work within our lives, this very moment. They use satire and metaphor to approach the truths that would otherwise be too difficult to understand, or too terrifying to comprehend.

Most of all, these films challenge you to wake up.

The Truman Show (1998)

Jim Carrey plays Truman Burbank, the first child ever legally adopted by a corporation. His entire life is constructed inside a gigantic set, encompassing the picturesque town of SeaHaven. Everything is artificial — from the buildings, to the people, to the very sun above his head.

It’s too easy to call the film a satirical extension of “reality television.” Instead, Peter Weir deftly uses the motif of reality TV to present the “un-realities” of our own world. How the majority of us are psychologically controlled, through fear and comfort to, as Cristof says, “accept the reality of the world that we’re given.”

Read more: The Meaning Of The Truman Show

I Heart Huckabees (2004)

Imagine you were experiencing an existential crisis. But rather than work through it yourself, you hire existential detectives to help you track down the source of your suffering. Imagine one of those detectives is Dustin Hoffman with a bad haircut.

I Heart Huckabees is a quirky, rabbit hole of a film. Many of the characters, from the smarmy marketing executive (Jude Law), to the angry nihlistic firefighter (Mark Walberg) act out the various philosophies of the past thousand years.

Read more: Essay on I Heart Huckabees

Waking Life (2001)

What if you were chained in a dimly-lit cave your whole life where you saw only shadows of real things reflected on its back wall?

Suddenly you’re free and come into the sunlight. Would you recognize this new world as more real than your cave world? Would you be able to wake up?

Talk about a mind trip. Richard Linklater’s film Waking Life, is both visually beautiful and intellectually stimulating. The filmmakers use a ground-breaking technique (at the time) called ‘rotoscoping’ to colour over the images to create a dream-like animation.

Just a few of the ideas covered in unbroken dialogues: dreaming versus reality, existentialism, buddhism, situationism, post-modernism, the list goes on.

Read more: Essay on Waking Life

The Matrix (1999)

For obvious reasons, this was a paradigm-shifting film in the world of movies. But it also introduced a whole generation (myself included) to question the nature of reality. What is real? And how do you know it’s real?

The film’s other great contribution to mass society was the possibility that an unseen force is controlling our destiny. Morpheus reveals the ultimate truth that Neo’s mind can barely process: the Matrix is control. And the only way to break free? Open your mind.

Read more: Collection of essays on The Matrix

Dark City (1998)

Do you ever feel like you’re playing a role? Released 1 year before The Matrix, another film introduced the concept of a hidden beings controlling the destiny of humanity.

Dark City follows Rufus Sewell, a man framed for murder, as he’s pursued by faceless super beings that can manipulate time. Unfortunately for the beings, the protagonist is unwittingly gifted with their own powers of psychokinesis, and a challenge for domination ensues.

Read more: Dark City on Wikipedia

American Beauty (1999)

Horny suburban dad obsesses over his daughter’s friend, a vapid cheerleader. But there’s much more to this dark tale of the American dream gone awry.

Notable elements of this award-winning film include the dehumanizing effects of consumerism, the repressed sexuality of a gay military man, and the pot smoking defiance of Ricky Fitts, who sees the beauty of the entire universe in a single, swaying plastic bag.

Read more: American Beauty and the Idea Of Freedom

Fight Club (1999)

“Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need. We’re the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War’s a spiritual war… our Great Depression is our lives.”

Tyler Durden’s words ring true in this dark, angry look at young people’s failures to interact with the value system they’re expected to uphold. Far from being a manifesto for violence, the film is rumination on the lengths we will go to experience real emotion, even if it means (metaphorically) bashing someone’s head in.

Read more Fight Club: A Ritual Cure For The Spiritual Ailment Of American Masculinity

Donnie Darko (2001)

Sometimes, to make something better, you’ve got to burn it all down and start over. Such is the relationship between Graham Greene’s The Destructors, and the cult classic Donnie Darko.

The film seamlessly weaves together notions of God, the non-linear nature of time, mind-control, and the freakiest bunny mask you’ve ever seen. It may take multiple viewings to discern a few messages from this multi-layered flick, but each time around will be just as rewarding.

Read more: Essay on Donnie Darko

Brazil (1985)

A dystopian, black comedy, Brazil reveals the terrifying indifference of bureaucracy in a totalitarian state. Although director Terry Gilliam claims never to have read 1984, the themes are too similar to dismiss.

Sam Lowry, a government cog in their machine, habitually escapes his dead-end job by imagining a fantasy world of romantic struggles.

Unfortunately, the system roots out dissidents with fervour. The villains in the film are neither malicious nor sadistic, they are merely doing their jobs.

Read more: Analysis of Brazil

Network (1976)

The news stopped being about enlightening the masses a long time ago.

Instead, news attempts to portray a world view that allows those in power to stay in power. This is never more true than 30 years after the film Network was released, when Howard Beale proclaimed “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore!”

He called for viewers everywhere to stand up, and demand democratic control over their lives once again. The irony is even more biting when it’s revealed democracy, along with nations, peoples, and countries, no longer exists. The only thing left: the global system of finance.

Read more: The Rise of the Superclass

What do you think of the films in the list? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Photo by Zweettooth

The desire to travel can be spurred by a variety of motivations. To see the world. To push our boundaries.

Perhaps to gain the ultimate truth: enlightenment.

But what is enlightenment? And how would we know it if we found it? For me, I’ve found a valuable guide in Zen Buddhism.

First of all, I confess I don’t actually know much about Buddhism. I know more than some people, but I recognize that in the bigger picture, it’s not very much. In fact I don’t consider myself a Buddhist. I don’t walk around in a robe or have a bald head, and I’ve never lived in a monastery.

Second, there are many different schools of Buddhism, just as there are many facets of the world’s other religions. Some sects are more strict than others and have differing views on Buddhist doctrines.

For the purpose of this article I will explore the sect of Zen Buddhism.

Finger Pointing At The Moon

If I told someone I was a Buddhist they probably couldn’t help but conjure up familiar images of monks and jolly looking statues with rounded bellies. It’s usually not deliberate.

As soon as someone tells you that they belong to a certain religion or group or political party, the stereotypes come tumbling after.

The only way to negate the onslaught of these stereotypes is to not fight them at all. Instead, it is far better to recognize them as stereotypes than to block them from entering your mind in the first place. This is the path to Enlightenment.

“Buddha” simply means “One who has become Enlightened.”

The first man to become the Buddha lived a few thousand years ago in India. He was a prince to whom every whim was catered, every desire satisfied. Yet he saw the misery of the people around him and decided to give up his privileged life in favor of discovering the source of human suffering.

After a long journey, the prince came back with the some profound insights, including the Four Noble Truths. The most important of these Truths can be distilled as duhkha (doo-ka).

Cycle of Suffering

Photo by Bugtom

Duhkha is a Sanskrit word that refers to a wheel out of kilter, a wheel that performs an important function.

Like a warped wheel on a cart that causes the passenger great discomfort as it wobbles, rises, then drops – only to be repeated again and again.

“Something basic and important isn’t right. It bothers us, makes us unhappy, time after time,” says Buddhist teacher Steve Hagen in his book Buddhism Plain and Simple.

“Of course there are moments of pleasure, but no matter how hard we try to cultivate pleasure and keep it coming our way, eventually the pleasure recedes and the disturbance and vexation return.”

The first Matrix film was an exploration in Buddhist philosophy, veiled in the guise of an “action movie with killer robots.”

In the beginning Neo is much like a normal human being, wandering through life with little confidence as to why he exists in the first place. He just knows that something is wrong – something is out of kilter and to use Morpheus’s words, Neo just can’t seem to figure out why that is. This is duhkha.

Duhkha arises from not “seeing” Reality. In Neo’s case, the Reality he couldn’t see was the Matrix. Morpheus allowed him to awake from the cycle of duhkha by telling him the truth. He simply showed Neo his Reality – that he was a human battery living in a tube.

And what was the result? Neo became enlightened…and proceeded to kick a lot of robot ass.

A Fist Of Jewels

But you say life is hardly like a movie? Quite true. So let’s look at another example as provided by Steve Hagen:

“Suppose I were to come up to you, hold out my closed fist, and tell you that I have a jewel in it. Now, I might be lying or I might be telling the truth. Either way, you have little to go on. As long as my hand remains closed you don’t know whether or not I have a jewel in it. The most you can do, given the limited information I’ve provided, is believe or speculate that I have, or don’t have, a jewel inside my fist.

“Only when I open my fist can you see if there’s a jewel in it or not. And once I do it, the need for – and usefulness of – belief vanishes. You can see for yourself whether or not there’s a jewel, and you can base your actions on what you see, rather than on what you think. So it is with any issue, question, or dilemma. We therefore cannot rely on what we merely believe if we wish to see Truth and Reality. We can only rely on actual perception and direct experience.”

Once you begin to see reality for what is really is, a lot of amazing things start to happen. You start to question the things that have bothered you in the past and continue to be a source of stress today.

Much of what we strive for – wealth, love, happiness – are valid desires, yet are sold to us only through material products. See the reality of television commercials and advertisements on the street. What are they really selling you? A product? A false path to being satisfied with your body and your life?

“Think about the sorts of difficulties we have dealing with our reality – our personal reality and that of our society,” writes Canadian philosopher John Raulston Saul.

“Much of that difficulty comes not from reality but from our denial of its existence. False individualism comes from the false sense of how we might fulfill ourselves. Self-fulfillment does not come from setting ourselves apart. It is the result of accepting our context.”

The Eternal Now

The average person watches nine years of television in their lifetime. Nine years. That’s a third of the time I’ve been on this earth.

Certainly it’s a statistic horrendous enough to get some of those couch potatoes off the sofa. But what is the alternative?

Some people believe the only way to “seize the day” is to parachute out of airplanes or ski down a glacier Mountain Dew-style. But for those people that see reality, seizing the day is really just experiencing the “now” within the context of Reality.

“Now” is what you’re doing at this moment. It is you sitting in your chair, hand on the mouse, pupils reading the words on this screen.

It is your lungs breathing the air and the itch behind your ear. “Now” is the present – a moment in which we perpetually exist. There is nothing else, other than this moment. The past is a collection of memories in your brain, the future a collage of your colourful imagination.

The events which you think may happen in the future may become the “present”, or they may not. Either way, there isn’t much else to do but enjoy the “now.”

“This provides us with a chance to wake up,” says Steve Hagen.

“You have this chance to wake up right now, in this moment, and in every moment. Most of us tend to think that it’s the other way around, that we’ve got to figure something out. But no. We don’t need to figure out our own experience; it’s already here, firsthand. Thus enlightenment is already yours.”

Following these ideas, I have had some amazing rides on the skytrain. I’ve marveled at the way the sun casts it’s rays through the leaves of trees, and at the feeling of sand in my fingers. I’ve stood in the rain and felt it dribble down my back. I’ve never passed up an opportunity to take the stairs, simply because it feels so good to walk.

And I’ve come to realize that true freedom is not the choice between eight different kinds of hair conditioner, but to not desire anything at all in the first place.

Engaged Reality

This is not to say that nothing is worth doing. I’ve never been skydiving before, I hope to some day try it out. And there’s no shame in the excitement of unpacking a brand new television.

It’s just a matter of stepping back and basking in the glory of the raw experience, whether it’s a good experience or a painful one. After that, writes spiritual guru Dean Sluyter, “we again see magical shapes in the clouds, even as we seamlessly handle our grownup responsibilities. There’s no conflict between these two modes: we can be childlike without being childish.”

Here lies the contradictory nature of seeing reality.

For if you don’t look hard enough, it’s easy to slip into the idea that to abandon desire is to abandon purpose and motivation. That the only thing left to do is live in a hermit shack atop a lone mountain, periodically emerging to collect berries and shake your head at the “un-enlightened masses” down below.

In fact, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. To notice timelessness is to receive the gift of the now, to accept the present of the present. This moment is already how it is; it’s too late the change it.

Release From Suffering

To accept the reality of the present is to release your mind from worry, from duhkha.

Of course, this doesn’t excuse you from responsibility, or from being numbed into zombie-like compliance. If your job sucks, ask to do something more interesting. If your boss denies your request, either find the fun within your current job, or quit and do something else.

Seeing reality means accepting that there are problems in the world — that drunk drivers kill people everyday, that governments start wars, and that no can be blamed for your remaining in your current situation but yourself.

But don’t let that dishearten you. Now that you see reality, you’re free to do something about it.

Unfortunately, there is one certainty that we can do nothing about.

We can stall it with technology, push it aside with entertainment, or let it hang over our heads like a black cloud, poisoning our experience of life.

This certainty is death.

For most of us, death is pretty depressing. It’s the end of the line. The black void. But I believe most of us have got death all wrong.

When you step back and attempt to see reality, to imagine yourself in the larger context of life, you realize that there would be no life without death. Mortality is perhaps the greatest gift given to those who embrace life with an open mind and a heart to gather it in.

Think about it, says Steve Hagen.

“Pick up a flower – a beautiful, living, fresh rose. It smells wonderful. It reveals a lovely rhythm in the swirl of its petals, a rich yet dazzling color, a soft velvety texture. It moves and delights us. The problem is that the rose dies. Its petals fall; it shrivels up; it turns brown and returns to the earth.

One solution to this problem is to ignore the real rose and substitute a plastic one, one that never dies (and never lives). But is a plastic rose what we want? No, of course not. We want the real rose. We want the one that dies. We want it because it dies, because it’s fleeting, because it fades.

It’s this very quality that makes it precious. This is what we want, what each of us is: a living thing that dies.”

All Good (And Bad) Things

So that’s the truth of it. All of us will die eventually.

For some it will be sooner, for others much later. Everything we own, everything we worked so hard to afford – that nice car, the house, the stereo – will be lost. We can’t take it with us.

And we can continue to deny this reality of our existence, for which we will endure great duhkha, or we can choose to experience the time that we’re given and leave behind a legacy of peace and understanding.

Human beings will always have problems, there’s no way around it. But it is the experience of working through them that allows us to grow and to learn. And what is life if not a learning process?

In a nutshell, that’s the basics of Zen Buddhism.

So the next time you turn the handle of your front door and step out into the wide world, see reality and realize that no matter what your problems, chances are, they’re probably not that bad.

And remember, as Neo discovered, there is no spoon.

That’s almost 12 months since donning a tux, standing in front of my family (and hers), and slipping a ring over her finger, declaring that this woman, this person, this wonderful sliver of soul, shall be my wife.

My how the time flies.

Since that moment I’ve often pondered what’s changed in our relationship. After all, my wife and I had lived together for almost 3 years before I proposed. We’ve eaten together, sparred together (literally, in martial arts she broke her toe on my forearm) and even traveled together.

Rest assured, spending 2 months with anyone on the road will reveal very quickly whether or not you’re compatible.

My best friend has had a different situation with his significant other. We’ve both spent much of the past year on the road, which has occasionally put a strain on my marriage, and certainly prolonged the “courtship” phase of his relationship.

In those many nights in transition, on the bus or in another foreign home, my friend and I have discussed the differences between having a girlfriend and being married. Who should be missed more? What type of relationship demands your presence, and defines how you exist together when in the same space?

The Difference Between

It could have been accumulated wisdom from my year of marriage (or maybe just the beers), but an epiphany came to me recently that I wanted to share:

Girlfriends are like cheesecake. Wives are like oxygen.

Allow me to explain.

When you haven’t had cheesecake in a while, and someone puts a rich slice in front of you, glinting fork on the edge of the plate, chances are, you’re going to enjoy it. It’s creamy, cheesy, and all around delicious. That is…until you have one bite too much.

That’s the thing about cheesecake. It’s amazing until you go overboard.

Girlfriends tend to be the same – it’s been my experience that couples in healthy early relationships limit their exposure of each other to infrequent doses. This way, when you’re together you have plenty to talk about, discover, and experience, until it’s time to part ways and plan the next encounter.

Couples that spend too much time together at this early stage tend to burn each other out.

A Deep Breath

Wives, on other hand, are much different. Married couples tend to spend a lot of time together. Some even appear joined at the hip. Often they become like a single entity, sharing decisions, thoughts, and opinions.

But in the best marriages, being together is not something conscious. You don’t “decide” to be together day to day, you just are.

Which is exactly like oxygen. You don’t consciously decide to breathe moment to moment. You are not worried if oxygen will be there or not, whether they’re still committed to you, or whether they’re suitably entertained or not.

You just exist…together.

Comfortable. Natural. Like breathing.

Of course, not all girlfriends are like cheesecake. And not all wives are like oxygen. But I find the best and most complimentary relationships follow this theme.

I could go on…but all this talk has made me hungry for cheesecake. (The real thing…don’t worry, honey).

What are your thoughts on my extended similes? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Ian MacKenzie is editor of Brave New Traveler. Aside from writing, he spends his time exploring the fundamental nature of existence and wishing he did more backpacking.

The only job better than being a travel writer, is being a travel writer on your own television show. That’s the dream attained by Julia Dimon and Robin Esrock, with the debut of their new series Word Travels: The Truth Behind the Byline.

We’d previously featured an interview with Robin where he defined his style of travel as “modern gonzo.” Julia is herself an accomplished travel writer, who has contributed to BNT in the past.

So of course, when the opportunity arose to interview them both in my hometown of Vancouver, I leapt at the chance. I ask them a variety of questions, including:

• What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?
• What’s been the most surreal experience working on Word Travels?
• What is your best piece of advice for new travelers?
• Do travelers have a responsibility to help the communities they visit?
• With all your time on the road, how do you stay excited about travel?

Enjoy the interview! And be sure to catch their show Word Travels on OLN.

Ian MacKenzie is editor of Brave New Traveler. Aside from writing, he spends his time exploring the fundamental nature of existence and wishing he did more backpacking.

The word “acquisition” sounds very official, but as you know from reading our mandate, we’re not about being too official. We’re about having fun and publishing authentic content you rarely read anywhere else.

Basically what happened is Matador’s founder Ross Borden, approached me with a vision that made sense – join forces to complement each community and build something out of the collaboration that is ultimately better than what we could do alone.

Co-editor Tim Patterson, who is also an active member at Matador, eloquently put it as:

Matador and BNT are not just a motley collection of articles, travel stories, destination guides, internet forums and social networks. They are communities of passionate travelers – thousands of us, brought together from the far corners of the world into one space, one global campfire where we are able to have a conversation.

So what does that mean in concrete terms over here at BNT?

On the surface, not much will change. I will remain as the Editor-in-Chief and Tim Patterson will stay on as Co-Editor. BNT’s design will stay relatively the same – with some exciting new additions to the look and layout.

As for content, the new partnership means we can split article topics among the other blog in Matador’s network, The Traveler’s Notebook. BNT will focus more on what it does best – spiritual travel, politics, relationships on the road, and more.

But like any grand endeavor, we must leave room for organic evolution. This is an exciting time for BNT and Matador, and we’re just getting started.

If you haven’t yet, grab our RSS feed or subscribe via Email.

As I wrote way back in our very first post, I promise, it will be a ride. Thanks for hopping on board thus far.

Ian MacKenzie is editor of Brave New Traveler. Aside from writing, he spends his time exploring the fundamental nature of existence and wishing he did more backpacking.

I caught up with Chuck for some follow up questions that had been simmering in the back of my mind.

BNT: In your book you write that most mainstream magazines “exist for a single purpose-to move product, or, less artfully, to sell shit.” In your mind, was there ever a golden age of writing in mainstream travel magazines? If so, what changed?

CHUCK THOMPSON: I doubt there was ever a “golden age” for travel mags. What happens more often is that new magazines pop up here and there trying to establish a new template for the genre or in some way distinguish themselves from the pack, through honesty, irreverence, edgy photography, whatever.

I worked for a magazine out of L.A. for several years called Escape. Escape was sort of the Lonely Planet of magazines, at least insofar as sharing a general sensibility and favoring off-the-track destinations.

But Escape met the same fate as most non-mainstream travel pubs-it just couldn’t attract enough big ad accounts to keep it going. The magazine folded in 2000 after about seven years. A real shame, but that seems to be the way these things go. Escape is still probably the best travel magazine I ever wrote for.

What’s changed is what’s changed across our entire media.

First, the triumph of PR. Doesn’t matter if it’s covering politics, sports, music, business, travel, whatever, the mainstream media is generally (some exceptions) content to allow the agenda to be driven by organizations with a financial or political stake in the “news.”

Second is the discouraging trend over the last decade of media rolling over for high-end advertisers (and by no means is this limited to travel media), as though the entire country were Robb Report material.

Aspirational advertising has always been a part of publishing, of course, but never more so than today when people launch or redesign magazines not according to what readers want, but according to what high-end ad accounts they can attract. Believe me, that’s how it works. I’ve been in the meetings at more than one magazine and they’re all exactly the same.

Is there a way out of this scenario? Should magazines strive to find an alternative business model rather than being dependent on advertisers to finance their writers?

It’d be nice to think they could break that dependence, but I don’t see it happening. Part of it is economics-if you sacrifice ad dollars, you need to find them elsewhere-but part of it’s an institutional mindset.

For example, travel editors have to scratch, claw, and beg to get a lousy $50 added to an expense budget because a writer has to spend an unplanned night in some fleabag hotel after his flight home got cancelled. Meanwhile, a couple ad account reps blow $1,200 on a champagne lunch with clients. I use this example because it’s a scenario I was part of-I was the begging editor.

I’m not bitching, I’m just explaining the culture.

I’m also not trashing ad account reps. They have BY FAR the toughest job at any magazine. You ever try to sell media? It’s a bitch. Believe me, you don’t want that job.

Account reps aren’t overpaid. It’s just that editors and writers are grossly underpaid. If you could see what a large, successful magazine nets each month, and then look at the pittance doled out to editors and writers, you’d cry. It’s criminal.

Travel writers today generally make $1 a word (some exceptions). That’s the same rate they got paid in 1980! Babysitter’s fee have quadrupled in the same amount of time.

So, in some ways, insofar as travel writing goes, you get what you pay for. My advice if you want to make money in magazines? Go into advertising.

What do you think would happen if travel writers were free to tell the truth? That some experiences were poor, and all hotels aren’t perfect? Would the readers value the authenticity of the writing? Would advertisers freak out and pull out their dollars?

Readers would value the authenticity of the writing. Advertisers would freak out and pull out their dollars. Bye bye, magazine.

But it’s not fair to lay all the blame with the advertisers. Why should they fund a magazine that takes pot shots at them? It doesn’t make sense for, say, Four Seasons or Northwest Airlines or whoever to advertise with a publication if there’s a danger that the publication will trash one of their destinations or corporate partners.

When I was at a major U.S. airline, our inflight ran a feature package, an absolute blowjob on the wonders of a certain Caribbean country. The story included a single mention of a broken-down truck on the side of a road and a hotel with paper-thin walls.

Well, guess what? The country’s Chamber of Commerce or some well-connected business group went apeshit over this perceived insult and their indignant screams went up to the national government level and then to the airline’s executive offices.

This was a big deal, because every airline has to maintain good relationships with governments in order to negotiate for airport gate space, favorable arrival and departure times, etc. The crisis over that story was eventually soothed, but not without a lot of trouble that filtered down to the magazine and its writers.

It just doesn’t make sense for major corporations to risk offending anyone when hundreds of millions of dollars could be lost because some snarky writer getting paid a buck a word wanted to inject a little local color.

And then there’s the fact that we live in an extremely uptight, ultra-sensitive culture right now, one in which public honesty in general is stifled and any public figure or entity has to walk on eggshells around any sort of opinion.

On my website there’s a list of Ten Overrated U.S. Tourist Destinations. Mt. Rushmore and Graceland are on the list.

Most of the email I get from readers is positive, but you should see what happens when you simply mention that you’re not a fan of Rushmore or Graceland. “Terrorist! Faggot! European!” Those were the nice things I was called.

For me, it’s fine, I’m just a single writer. I don’t particularly like being insulted this way, but, you know, it’s part of the gig, I can deal with it.

Unless your name is Clinton or Limbaugh or Grisham, no one asks you to write a book, so you’re pretty much obliged to take what comes when you put yourself out there like that. But a mega-corporation with billions of dollars at stake and shareholders to please can’t afford to be so cavalier.

And that’s one of the great misunderstandings about travel. The billions at stake. You and I experience travel in the most personal possible way. But in the larger context, it’s a global industry so massive that it’s net worth can’t even be properly calculated.

Depending on the year, it’s usually the world’s largest money maker after petroleum exports. As an employer, it’s certainly the largest industry on the planet.

Judging from the fact that glitzy travel magazines are the majority, are their editors merely “giving readers what they want.” Do you think readers actually prefer fluff, or have they just been deprived of quality travel writing?

There was a review of my book on the Internet that made, to me, the astonishing and ill-considered claim that readers were as much to blame as writers for the shortcomings of the genre. I couldn’t disagree more.

When my writing or editing has failed, I’ve always assumed it was my fault for not doing a better job of reaching my audience. I don’t like blaming readers for shitty writing, but that’s a more prevalent view among writers and editors than you’d imagine.

The short answer: Readers deserve better than what we’re giving them. That’s the title of the introduction to the book, actually: “You Deserve Better.”

A travel writer friend of mine said “quality travel stories ARE getting told, we’re just not making any money in the telling.” By that, I think she meant the internet has allowed a venue for authentic, gritty travel stories – but the problem is monetizing the content to support these writers. What do you see are the challenges for getting the word out about these alternative travel websites? Are they in fact, the only hope for quality travel writing?

I’m not the person to ask. I’m online everyday and regularly hit a few websites and some of the content is indeed great, but I’m neither interested in mining for nuggets of quality amid the dreck nor monetizing the content.

The fact is, I like print. I believe its demise has been greatly exaggerated. For portability and tactile pleasure and saving my eyeballs, I prefer books, magazines, and other hard copy to reading on a monitor.

Blogs are already a large part of the legit media mix. Great. I’m all for it. But they aren’t going to replace mainstream media anytime soon, financially or otherwise.

Given the mixed reviews on the aim of your book, how would you clarify your message?

The thing most interviewers and reviewers have focused on with this book is my critique of the travel-writing racket. That’s understandable, but the book is really more of a memoir masquerading as a travel book.

My primary goal was always to make it funny, entertaining. And what entertains me is humor, opinion, insight, solid anecdotes, and maybe a few poignant moments. Everyday while writing I asked myself, “Is this funny?” And if it wasn’t, it was gone, even if I’d spent weeks or even months refining it.

I figured that given the cover of the book, the chapter titles, and the fact that there’s a bit of humor-or perhaps more accurately an attempt at humor-on virtually every page, this intent would have been pretty obvious. But some people haven’t understood the book that way, and that’s surprised me.

Now, if you don’t think it’s funny, or it sucks, I can live with that. But it’s weird to me that the attempt at levity has been lost on some people.

Then again, as I say in the second chapter, by junior high I realized I was destined to live on the moral fringes-I have yet to vote for a single candidate in any city, state, or federal election who has ever won anything-so I probably shouldn’t be so surprised.

And, anyway, there are worse things to be than not laughed at.

Read more Chuck Thompson on his website and our review of his book “Smile When You’re Lying: Confessions of a Rogue Travel Writer.”

Ian MacKenzie is editor of Brave New Traveler. Aside from writing, he spends his time exploring the fundamental nature of existence and wishing he did more backpacking.

UPDATE: Today (Jan 22) so close, yet so far: 985 subscribers! I can almost taste those shots of whiskey…

UPDATE: Today (Jan 17) we’ve reached our highest ever so far: 975 subscribers! Getting there!

UPDATE: Today (Jan 15) we’ve reached 949 subscribers! Keep it up!

There’s comes a time in every online publication’s life when they pause for a moment, take stock of all they’ve accomplished so far, and set the bar for future goals.

In this case, a goal for us here at BNT is reaching that ever-elusive 1000 RSS subscriber mark, a milestone that says to other readers (and to the world at large) that, “Yes! Here is a publication worth reading!”

For those not in the know, RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication.” It’s that little orange square that you see on a lot of websites with a number that goes up and down. Here’s a handy explanation.

Of course, there are some people that would say 1000 readers is an arbitrary number – no different from 645 or 1078. To those people I say…well yeah. But just look at all those zeros in 1000. Admire how speaking the number rolls off your tongue and carries with it such boldness and dignity!

The last milestone occurred on Feb 27, 2007 a day before my birthday. At the hour of 7am, the RSS subscribers passed the holy mark of 100. I celebrated by taking a (now legendary) shot of vodka.

And now I call upon you, dear reader, to aid BNT in this quest to share the word about our online travel magazine. We’re asking you to help us reach our goal of 1000 subscribers by Feb 27, 2008.

If we reach 1000 RSS subscribers:

• Ian MacKenzie, Editor-in-Chief, will celebrate by swallowing 3 shots of Whiskey in quick succession.
• Tim Patterson, Co-Editor, will run naked down a Patagonian beach, flapping his arms like a condor.
• and finally, Laura Kammermeier, Advertising Manager, will do a triple front karate roll then drink a shot of carrot juice on a hilltop of her choice. (The amazing part of this feat is that Laura hasn’t done karate in 10 years and hates carrot juice).

All of this will be edited into a wonderful video clip and posted on BNT to celebrate the milestone.

Ideas to help us:

Tell your friends, tell your family, tell your dog, post about us on your blog, write a song, draw a picture – essentially anyway possible that aids us in hitting (or exceeding) that number is greatly appreciated.

Link Love For Everyone!

All sharable acts of helping us out will be linked to in a celebratory blog post along with our video. So this means we’ll link to your blog post, share your picture, embed your song…you get the idea. So when you post, send us a note to let us know it’s up.

What do you say, readers? Are you with us? If you haven’t yet, grab the BNT RSS Feed here!

Ian MacKenzie is editor of Brave New Traveler. Aside from writing, he spends his time exploring the fundamental nature of existence and wishing he did more backpacking.

As much as I enjoy the season, I find myself recoiling from the wanton consumption of the holidays. It’s not like people already don’t have enough things.

Yet all attempts to suppress buying more are swept aside in the spirit of “giving” and to opt out is to face scorn or worse, labeled “cheap.”

A recent article in the NY Times echoed this sentiment in Jolly and Green, With an Agenda:

The holidays have always been an emotionally combustible time for families, bringing together a sometimes volatile mix of siblings, crotchety grandparents and ill-behaved children. But in recent years, a new figure has joined the celebration, to complicate the proceedings even further: the green evangelist of the family – the impassioned activist bent on eradicating the wasteful materialism of the holidays.

I’m lucky, as my family switched over to a “Secret Santa” model years ago (where each of us only buys a gift for one other family member). But to those of you caught in the throes of buying for family, friends, and coworkers, coming up with the cash and conscience to pull it off is difficult.

How to bring others to see the green light? Educate them. A large reason over-consumption can exist unchecked is because most of us are so far apart from the consequences.

Witness an excellent new film The Story of Stuff:

So now that you’ve enlightened your friends and family to the destruction of excess, they’re wondering what to do instead. Years of buying everything has left most of us with an inability to imagine the myriad of creative gifts we can make with time and our hands.

Here’s a few ideas from BuyNothingChristmas.org:

• Compile a recipe book
• Shoot a homemade film
• Donate to a charity in their name
• Creat a custom calendar
• Paint a picture
• …the ideas are endless

So go ahead, act against the grain. You may be teased, scorned, mocked on the surface, but underneath, your actions make a difference. They plant that subtle seed of change, which may take a few years to peek its head out of the dirt, but with enough repetition, the results will appear.

And soon you may be on the receiving end of a pretty cool custom calendar.

What are some ideas you’ve come up with for Christmas gifts? Share in the comments!

Ian MacKenzie is editor of Brave New Traveler. Aside from writing, he spends his time exploring the fundamental nature of existence and wishing he did more backpacking.

A sponsored post is an article that has been written expressly because a company has paid for content.

In most cases on Brave New Traveler, our sponsored posts have been written by myself or co-editor Tim Patterson, and have offered an objective eye on the service/product. At no time were we “easy” on them because they paid for the post – we tried to offer a look at the service/product, and leave the reader to decide if they wanted to check out the companies’ website.

But some readers weren’t happy. They believed the posts were deceptive because they look like regular content, and were written in our signature tone and style.

A Change Of Tone

And so, after some discussion, Tim, Laura (our advertising manager) and myself decided we would continue to publish sponsored posts, but that we would no longer write them in our own style/tone. After all, if the posts are essentially advertisements, why not make it obvious? The first sponsored post in this format was 5 Reasons To Stay In A Timeshare, published last Sunday.

Again, we received criticism from other readers because they felt the posts were still deceptive. Even though every single post has been identified right at the beginning with the line “Please note: this is a sponsored post” some readers still view it as schilling for a company.

In an effort to remain fully transparent, I would like to argue our case for choosing to publish sponsored posts.

The Reality Of The Web

The truth is, I created BNT to provide a forum for excellent online travel content, and offer it for free.

However, that doesn’t mean I think our writers should work for free. From the very beginning, my goal was to earn enough money through various forms of advertising to pay for our content, and in July of this year, I achieved that goal.

Anyone who has ever tried to make money online, quickly realizes it doesn’t come easy. Unless you cram your layout with flashing banners, google adstrips, contextual text links, and affiliate referrals, it’s pretty difficult to earn more than a few bucks a month.

Currently, while small in number and frequency, sponsored posts provide the most income for the site. And that makes them tempting, because it means we can have a cleaner layout. It means I don’t have to hide affiliate sales links in the content. And it means that our writers can get paid.

Pay versus Product?

Yet I understand how sponsored posts can hurt our reputation as a quality source for travel content.

That’s why I’ve kept these posts to a minimum (less than 8 since the site launched over a year ago) and they always remain relevant to travel (which is why you don’t see sponsored posts about gambling or pharmaceuticals). And as always, the posts have been clearly labelled as sponsored, and not regular content.

So how to proceed? I’d like to hear your feedback on sponsored posts: whether you agree with them or not. I want to know if you have ideas on generating alternative income for BNT, and how we can keep publishing brilliant new writers, and share them with an ever growing audience of conscious and intelligent travelers.

Thanks in advance.

Ian MacKenzie is editor of Brave New Traveler. Aside from writing, he spends his time exploring the fundamental nature of existence and wishing he did more backpacking.

So without further ado, here’s my sketchy, fairly monotonous video clip:

After you’re done watching, let us know what you think of the new theme! Constructive feedback is always appreciated.

You get the idea. It’s been a long time since I first created Brave New Traveler.

During that time I’ve met some amazing people, celebrated small milestones, and continued to plug away.

Some realizations: creating a sustainable blog model is much harder than it looks. It’s not like you can slap up some content (along with a strip or two of Google ads) and expect the money to roll in.

Also, there’s no way I could have done this alone. For the first 4 months I was writing 90% of the content and driving myself insane.

Today, I’m able to focus more on editing other brilliant writers, and collaborate with my amazing staff – Tim and Laura.

When we’ve come so far, it’s always nice to look back at our favourite picks from the year. This is just a small sample of the excellent content found in our full archives.

Tim’s Picks

1) “The Journey Begins With a Single Step” by Greg Rodgers

A heart-felt and deeply inspiring account of one man’s escape from a soul-crushing job and the burden of knee-jerk American consumerism.

“In December, I gave myself the ultimate Christmas gift, I bought a one way ticket to Bangkok and turned in my letter of resignation…”

2) “The Crisis Of Too Much Energy” by Josh Kearns

Josh Kearns serves up a healthy dollop of common sense in this sweeping condemnation of conventional wisdom about the energy crisis. Josh’s essay is a must-read for anyone who has ever wondered if plastic toys and big SUVs are really the ingredients of happiness.

3) “5 Reasons The Lost Girls Can Afford To Travel The World” by Amanda Pressner

Amanda Pressner and her 20 something friends “The Lost Girls” traveled around the world for a whole year.

How did they do it?

“The short answer is that it’s actually much cheaper to travel for a year than it is to maintain our cost of living back in the United States. Seriously!”

This is a great article. Seriously.

4) “50+ Travel Magazines The Want To Publish Your Travel Writing” by Ian MacKenzie

Ian’s comprehensive list of travel magazines is an indispensable resource for all writers who aspire to publish their travel stories. Simply awesome.

Ian’s Picks

5) “The Art of Spiritual Travel” by Cameron Karsten

Travel is more than alcoholic binges and sandy beaches. It’s more than bland tourist attractions and plastic souvenirs. Travel at its purest is an inner journey, navigated by the outer self, as Cam poetically reveals in his first article for BNT.

6) “5 Steps To Save Money Like the Buddha” by Lucia Byttebier

If there’s one thing Buddha wasn’t worried about, it was bling. (After all, he did forfeit his palace for robes and the open road). Lucia applies the Buddha’s lessons towards the traveler’s budget, with enlightening results.

7) “Are You Afraid of Flying?” by Ian MacKenzie

I know, it’s probably bad form to showcase my own article. But I do feel this was one of my favourite to write – the article was biting at the back of my mind for months. I felt I had to get it down on paper. And thankfully, I feel I was able to articulate the real problem: irrational fear.

8 ) “Top 10 Things I Miss About Traveling (But Hated At The Time)” by Sarah Lane

In this entertaining and thoughtful article, Sarah put in perspective all the things that get under your skin while traveling. Most of us don’t realize (until we get home) how much these trying moments push our awareness of what it means to be alive.

9) “The Truth About Carbon Offsets” by Doug Dosdall

Flying is bad for the environment. Carbon offsetting is the way to balance out the damage. But how effective, really, is carbon offsetting? And is it the end-all solution or just a temporary bandaid? Doug answers these questions and more in this great piece.

10) “Why We Need Micro-Loans Instead of Slum Tourism” by Trip Sweeney & Scott Zimmerman

“We would like to present a new concept in tourism; a travel experience that celebrates the individuals in developing countries looking hopefully into the future with an entrepreneurial spirit.”

Trip and Scott of StepUp Travel present their powerful argument for empowering poverty-stricken populations with the tools to thrive.

What are some of your favourite articles from the past year of Brave New Traveler? Please share in the comments!

Here’s an early treat from my friends at Common Craft. Have a great Friday! I’m still looking for my own costume…anyone have any ideas?

You may have heard about the new book from Naomi Klein (author of No Logo) recently published, titled “The Shock Doctrine.” This short film offers a compelling argument about her idea.

“When I finished The Shock Doctrine, I sent it to Alfonso Cuarón because I adore his films and felt that the future he created for Children of Men was very close to the present I was seeing in disaster zones. I was hoping he would send me a quote for the book jacket and instead he pulled together this amazing team of artists — including Jonás Cuarón who directed and edited — to make The Shock Doctrine short film. It was one of those blessed projects where everything felt fated.” – Naomi Klein

Read more about the film and book on her website.

Reports are now pouring in that the military regime has begun killing the peaceful protesters, much as they did in the previous protests almost 20 years ago.

Many of us have never experienced life under a brutal dictatorship, and hopefully none of us ever will. Therefore it is our moral obligation to support the Burmese people as they reach out to us, and force as many eyeballs as possible to watch what happens next.

From the USA Campaign for Burma:

The military is now utilizing violence against monks and other non-violent protestors. They have beaten and arrested hundreds of people, and it is reported that more than a hundred have been killed. We are tired of the international communities just making statements – they must ACT

Click here to take action and sign the petition.

I’ve had the privilege of hiring two new members to our team:

Tim Patterson (Co-Editor) – You may know Tim from his weekly Tales from the Road roundups and his articles in various magazines like Get Lost and now SF Chronicle.

Tim will help edit and prepare new BNT articles for publishing, which saves me from being buried under the avalanche of great content that you’re all sending in.

Laura Kammermeier (Advertising Manager) – is a bird watcher who loves to hike, find new places to explore, and thankfully for me, is now handling advertising for BNT. With a background in web editing and ad management, she’s a perfect fit.

This expansion wouldn’t have been possible without all you readers (and our wonderful sponsors). We look forward to publishing more great content in the weeks and months to come.

Also, keep an eye out for our one year anniversary celebration… announcement soon.

Say you’ve decided to visit India, China, England, or a thousand other places unknown to you. These days, a quick internet search will reveal a mountain of written data on where to go, what to see, and what to eat.

Over the last few years, this data has grown to include video clips (a topic I previously covered here).

GeoBeats.com is one site that stands out from the crowd for featuring quality travel videos. A quick tour of the website reveals a surprisingly array of destinations, covered with the unique style and perspective of a local guide.

Here’s what they have to say about their work:

The facts presented in the videos are thoroughly researched. The narration in each video focuses on what’s most relevant and interesting for the particular topic. Additionally, in working with passionate filmmakers and hosts, we are able to reflect local flavor and personality across all destinations.

In an interesting twist, GeoBeats has now launched their own travel blog: Travel Beats. The blog is written by the same hosts and filmmakers of their destinations, in a friendly and informative tone that’s insightful and easy to read.

Much like their travel videos, the Travel Beats blog posts are heavily focused on a topic specific to a destination, with coverage extending world-wide. Articles are more in-depth than you would typically read in the average guidebook.

For example, a search in the India archive lists topics like:

• A Unique Drink From Kerala
• 5 Biggest Myths About India
• Janmashtami Festival
• Birla Temple

What I enjoy most of the Travel Beats blog is that while the posts make sure never to stray into the bland territory of fluffy content – a disease that seems to permeate many destination specific travel blogs (and films).

I believe this can be attributed to the fact that the guides and filmmakers actually live in the cities they cover. They are passionate about their culture and country, and are happy to invite the reader (or viewer) in to share their experience.

While Travel Beats is still new, it’s growing rapidly with great new content. Check it out today and help them out with some feedback!

Ian MacKenzie is editor of Brave New Traveler, and co-founder of the blogging community TravelBlogger. Recently, he also began offering website marketing consulting services specifically for travel websites and service providers. Visit his other project One Week Job.

Rolf Potts recently gave a talk at the Google Offices in New York, explaining the finer details of long-term travel. It’s an action-packed hour of information any serious (or potential) vagabonder should know.

To check out a chapter menu with time stamps, visit this entry on Vagablogging.net

While volunteering overseas is not new, the “behind the scenes” reality has rarely been conveyed effectively to the masses.

Daniela Kon aims to change that. She’s an independent documentary filmmaker currently in post-production of her debut documentary ‘Changing the World on Vacation – NGO Volunteers and the Politics of Compassion.’

The film is inspired by her own experiences volunteering with NGO’s in Thailand, India, and Cambodia in 2005/2006 and grew into an investigation into the moral complexity of development work and the personal and political boundaries of sustainability.

Now the film needs your help. Daniela is looking to raise funds to aid in post-production expenses to complete the film and deliver it to the world.

To help spread the word, I conducted an interview with Daniela about the project and volunteering overseas. Enjoy!

BNT: How did you get into film?

Daniela: I won a Television in a lottery when I was 6 years old and pretty much started to indulge in film junkie tendencies from then on. Watching films has always been my favourite hobby and I eventually developed a critical eye, a critical taste and a passion to express myself with that medium.

I worked for production companies, learned from other filmmakers, producers and editors, experimented with cameras, and also chose my educational path in that direction.

First theoretically, with a degree in media and cultural studies, which fueled a journalistic curiosity and sense of social responsibility – then traditionally, with a 16mm filmmaking course that boosted my passion for the craft and its creative potential and eventually, – practically with a masters in documentary production.

By then I had grown un-satisfied with a lot of fiction and appreciated the political significance, the complexity and the element of chance in documentary that can be imperatively meaningful, liberating, thought provoking and inspiring.

I found my genre and hope I can continue to devote myself to its challenging potential.

How does the medium of film differ from say, writing an essay on this topic?

There is something about the aesthetic experience of film and its multi-dimensional quality that certainly sets it apart.

Film is also much better qualified to translate the intensely visual experience of travel that produces vital visual memories. The popularity and accessibility of film, makes it politically the more powerful medium and the right one given the political gravity of global aid practices.

I actually started this project as a Phd thesis and soon debated your exact question, choosing to ‘take action’ in favour of theorizing.

What other documentaries do you take as inspiration for your film?

Philibert’s documentaries are a great inspiration. Definitely German and French cinema of the 60’s and 70’s – filmmakers like Goddard, Trouffaut, Fassbinder, Schlöndorff, Herzog and experimental approaches to filmmaking – Greenway, Bunuel, Transgression and DADA.

What are the challenges of filming a documentary abroad in a developing country?

The obvious challenges, such as language barriers and unfamiliarity turned out to be a benefit in the process.

Having to always interact and rely on locals or insiders helped to create valuable relationships that allowed me to try and learn as much as possible. Their support made every possible challenge an exciting adventure.

Finding electricity to charge batteries or getting tape-stock was much easier then avoiding travel sickness. A girl with a camera is also not as visible as a huge film crew and I got away with shooting pretty much everywhere.

On your website you say the film is meant to show the “everyday struggle” of volunteers abroad. Why do you think it is important to show this side?

It is absolutely crucial to acknowledge the symbiosis of giving and receiving in aid work.

The contradictory effects that the volunteers and staff members feel for themselves as a result of their involvement; their dilemmas and struggles are key to understanding the process and effects of development work.

Their motives and the way they overcome their personal challenges determine what is being changed, who is being helped, and how.

Civic institutions need to be understood as processes that are shaped by the practices and agendas of their participants.

What plans do you have for the documentary once it’s complete?

I plan to start with the festival route and hope to secure international TV and DVD releases.

I will make every effort to allow the film to be a catalyst for discussion with screenings at schools and universities, educational and community forums, and non-and governmental agencies.

I hope will allow citizens and policymakers to rethink their social responsibility, their realistic potential to ‘make a difference’ and help re-formulate more effective strategies for sustainable development in humanitarian aid and Volun-tourism projects.

YOUR SUPPORT IS NEEDED: Please visit the film’s website at www.deedaproductions.com to watch a 16- min selects reel, learn more about the documentary and support its completion.

Ian MacKenzie is editor of Brave New Traveler, and co-founder of the blogging community TravelBlogger. Recently, he also began offering website marketing consulting services specifically for travel websites and service providers. Visit his other project One Week Job.

Many of you know Matt Harding from his ludicrous trips around the world, dancing his ‘prosector dun struck gold’ dance.

He’s appeared in major media all across the US, and featured as one of the top internet stars.

I figured Matt was pretty darn sick of talking/doing his dance, so when I contacted him for an interview, I promised I wouldn’t ask about the shtick that made him famous.

The result is a thought-provoking interview from a guy who’s been around the world three times over. Enjoy!

BNT: What would you say is the main difference between people in “rich” countries over developing countries?

I think the boundaries are different. In Hanoi, people spend a lot of their time out on the sidewalk amidst all the noises of the city. They set up chairs and they sit around eating and talking while their kids play on the street. In La Paz or Nairobi it’s very much the same.

People can’t afford to insulate themselves with walls and fences, so they function without a lot of personal space. I think it helps to create stronger communities and provides a web of security, because everyone can see what everyone else is up to. But of course, there are also downsides.

Coming from a relatively cloistered culture, it’s refreshing to see the vitality of a city where everyone is out and things are buzzing.

As a traveler, what’s the worst experience you’ve had in a developing country?

I think the only times I’ve been afraid for my life were when I’d done something very stupid. I can’t think of ever having been thrust into a situation like that where it was completely beyond my control.

And the few times I have been afraid for my life certainly weren’t my worst experiences. I actually remember them as being some of the best; like hiking alongside fresh leopard tracks on a volcano rim in Kenya, or winding up alone in a Mexican whore house at 4am with a strange man lurking outside my door. Terrifying at the time of course, but fondly remembered.

The worst experience would have more to do with hassles; like getting stuck in Bangkok for 8 days while waiting for the Indian consulate to process my visa application. Or maybe the 16 hour bus ride across the Serengeti where I had to pay the lady next to me $5 so I could stick my head out of the window and escape the body odor.

What was the most rewarding experience?

That would have to be shooting the dancing clip with the kids in Rwanda. I can’t say I formed a deep emotional bond with the kids or anything – I was only in the village for a matter of minutes – but that clip and the experience of making it has been rewarding in a lot of ways.

The way the kids just instantly got what I was doing and joined in without hesitation – it goes back to that thing about boundaries. And I think the clip captures some trace of the sublime joy they were emanating.

It’s really the heart of the video, and it’d led the way for me into this new project, which is getting people to come out and dance with me in every place I go.

What’s the worst attitudes a tourist can have while traveling through developing countries?

I think the real cardinal sin is expecting a place to bend to your wants and needs. The impulse to turn every spot on earth into a variation of what you have at home. It’s like in camping stores, how they sell ice cream makers and freeze-dried beef stroganoff. You’re in the woods, folks! Eat some rice and beans and go to bed!

I’m not saying we should all sleep on thatch floor mats and wear sarongs, but there needs to be a degree of respectful immersion.

Of course, this assertion makes a hypocrite out of me in many ways. I’m the guy who always orders the cheese and tomato sandwich when the menu looks too dodgy. I’ll also pay extra for comfort on trains and buses, because I can afford to and I’ll sleep better and it makes everything go more smoothly. Like I said, it’s a matter of degrees.

What are the most desirable qualities to have as a tourist in developing countries?

Curiosity.

Don’t try to blend in, ’cause you’re never going to blend in. Be yourself, but also try to be inquisitive and engaged by what’s around you. Learn as much as you can and bring that back with you.

But then once you’re home, don’t go on and on about it forever, cause you’ll drive everyone around you crazy. You’re allowed one day of rambling about your trip for every week you spent traveling. After that, you have to shut up about it.

For more Matt Harding, visit Where The Hell Is Matt?

Ian MacKenzie is editor of Brave New Traveler, and co-founder of the blogging community TravelBlogger. Aside from writing, he spends his time exploring the fundamental nature of existence and wishing he did more backpacking.

If you didn’t know your passion in life, would you throw everything aside to search for it? Such is the premise for my friend’s One Week Job project.

Since February, he’s been traveling around Canada working a job a week, meeting new people, learning new skills, and generally experiencing continual uncertainty. It’s like traveling…on steroids.

And recently, he managed to drag me along for the ride.

I’ve taken on the role of filmographer – shooting, editing, and producing weekly episodes based on his jobs. We’ve spent the last few weeks in Toronto and it’s already been a wild ride: working at a brewery, a tattoo parlour, and now the largest cancer research hospital in Canada.

Episode #2 from New Tribe Tattoo Parlour was just published today. Have a watch, and if you like it, it would help both of us greatly if you spread the word. Any feedback is also appreciated!

The topic of volun-tourism has been mentioned numerous times of late (such as our volunteer guide) so when I came across this excellent short film, I thought I’d share.

Here’s the lowdown: 12 people, 3 days and 1 school. This is a documentary about a community project trek deep into the Himalaya to help restore a school. The project was a joint venture been The Footprints Network, World Nomads and World Expeditions.

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!

Remember back in the old days, when music was actually stored on circular pieces of plastic?

This archaic technology was called a “compact disc” and seems quaint now in the time of gigabytes and iPods.

Now you can take your entire music collection (along with your neighbour’s) with you on the road. Which means there’s no excuse for not having a playlist ready for any travel situation you find yourself in.

Having the perfect playlist will ensure the camaraderie and admiration of others, and will result in immense personal satisfaction.

Here are 5 essential playlists for the most common traveler situations, along with a bonus backup playlist just in case.

The Roadtrip

There’s nothing worse than heading out for the roadtrip of a lifetime, and finding the only music on hand is a compilation of obscure Australian folk music (yes, I’ve lived through it).

Avoid this torture by pre-selecting a bevy of roadtrip tunes guaranteed to cross cultural boundaries no matter who’s in the car/bus/jeep.

Suggested Artists: Nirvana, Bryan Adams, Tom Petty

The Hammock Chillout

It’s afternoon. You spent the morning snorkeling the crystal blue ocean, darting among the rainbow coloured fish, tasting the salt water on your tongue. Lunch was a bowl of green curry, chased down with a Beer Chiang.

You’re tired, but satisfied. The sun has reached it’s zenith, draining your energy to do anything but relax in the hostel hammocks or lounge by the pool. It’s the perfect time to ask the employee behind the desk if you can hook up your MP3 player for some chillout tunes.

Suggested Artists: Coldplay, Air, Jack Johnson, Zero 7

The Hostel Pre-Party

It’s a big night tonight. You’ve just arrived in town, unpacked your bags, befriended the few others in your hostel room (or hotel) and have decided it’s time to hit the town.

You head out to the nearest liquor store, grab a six-pack, bottle of boxed wine, or a mickey of vodka, and return to your room, stocked up from some pre-party drinking.

What’s missing? The music of course. Your bring out your MP3 player, hook it up to the handy external speakers you picked up before leaving home, and proceed to get the evening started.

A few of the following artists should keep you pumped until a warm buzz fills your blood and you’re ready to head out into the night.

Suggested Artists: Franz Ferdinand, Beastie Boys, Sublime, White Stripes

The Jungle Meditation

You’re at an eco-lodge or hostel in the middle of the jungle. No electricity (or perhaps very limited solar). No urban sounds penetrate the peace of the locale. Monkeys, birds, insects, and wind in the trees all contribute to the lush cacophony of music.

Of course, the lodge has a bungalow or secluded clearing nearby for travelers looking to practice a bit of meditation, or even simple yoga.

You could listen to the natural jungle music, or you could enhance it with some Buddhist chanting or Indian sitar. Perfect time to pop in your headphones, or use your portable speakers that came in so handy at the hostel pre-party last week.

Suggested Artists: Thievery Corporation, Flunk, Deep Forest

The Recreational Sport

You’re walking down the beach, enjoying the sunshine and the sand, wondering what to do with your day. Read a book? Wander into town? Take another nap?

Suddenly you stumble upon a group of locals kicking around a soccer ball. They stop. Size you up. Then wave you over to join in.

Or perhaps you’re at a hostel with a few mates, one of whom has the motivation to borrow the volleyball from behind the check-in desk, and gather everyone for some recreational volleyball. What would enhance the moment? Some high-energy background tunes.

Suggested Artists: Chemical Brothers, Groove Armada, Daft Punk

Bonus Playlist: Bob Marley

Should you accidentally forget to cover all your playlist bases, and you find yourself without one for a certain situation – you can always fall back on the eternal Bob Marley.

From the taxi driver in Calcutta to the scowling old man in an Albanian pub – everyone knows Bob.

So don’t be caught unawares – at the minimum have Bob Marley and the Wailers: Greatest Hits. There’s nothing quite like a good solid shoutout of “Oooo yeah!” to earn immediate kinship with other travelers and locals.

Any common travel situations I missed? Share in the comments!

As many of you probably know, there has been an ongoing genocide occuring in Darfur. It is as complex as it is horrific – though with one thing for certain: it must be stopped.

The above film was put together by an advocacy group Stop Genocide Now, who are also documenting the journey of humanitarian workers as they navigate the people and region.

I highly recommend checking out their website and joining the movement. As well, Amnesty International has a dedicated campign for Darfur with further information and action guidelines.

Coincidentally, the question “How do we get beyond empty promises for Darfur?” was asked at the recent Youtube debates to the upcoming presidential candidates. Here’s what they said:

Why do you think the Darfur conflict has been largely ignored by the West? What do you think is the best course of action to stop the genocide?

One of the travel realities that’s rarely revealed is the amount of waiting that accompanies every type of journey.

I remember in Thailand, I had taken a bus from Bangkok to the southern coast, arriving in the terminal sometime around 4am. It was unbearable hot, pitch black, and nothing was open. It was too muggy to sleep and I was too hungry to read a book.

In short, it was a mildly hellish 5 hour wait until morning when the ferry arrived. If only I’d had something more effective than a book for distraction, it might have made the time more bearable.

Enter: the Nintendo DS. I’ll be honest with you – like all adolescent boys, I used to be addicted to video games.

Luckily, I outgrew that practice in my early 20’s. Sure, I’d play video games now and then at a friend’s place, but for the most part, I left the pixelated world cold turkey.

The Revival

So recently, when I tried the latest Nintendo DS, I was skeptical. (Full disclosure: I was sent a free review copy). Had video games really changed that much in the past 6 years? Would I really want to pack one of these in my backpack for guaranteed distraction on the road?

When the box arrived, I unpacked it with suspense. First impression: it’s sexy. Nintendo has definitely been taking design lessons from Apple, borrowing their white graphite aesthetic.

Second, it’s a marvel of technology. I remember when the original Gameboy weighed 8 pounds and sported one dismal black-and-white screen. This newer version is a fraction of the weight, and the dual screens are a beautiful site to behold.

Third, it comes with a stylus. Yep, it’s utilizes touchscreen. I couldn’t believe it myself. It’s like having a Blackberry — only one that you can’t get business calls from and forces you to play games.

Get Smarter

Speaking of games, the Nintendo DS came with a copy of Brain Age. You may have heard of it already, as it was apparently one of the top-selling games in Japan.

It’s basically a combination of brain-sharpening activities that test your mental prowess, such as high-speed multiplication, reading exercises, brain teasers, puzzles, and even a version of Sudoku.

If it sounds mildly interesting, it’s not. It’s actually a blast.

Or at least, that was my wife tells me. Ever since we got it, she’s been playing it more than I have.

Maybe it’s the curious combination of competition and the promise of a better brain that makes Brain Age so addicting. Or maybe it’s the fact that the game is narrated by a jovial Japanese professor who cracks jokes and urges you to develop your “pre-frontal cortex.”

Either way, I’ve decided to do what I never thought possible. On my next trip, in anticipation of the agonizingly inevitable waits I’ll be forced to endure, I’m going to pack along the Nintendo DS.

Because you never know when you’ll need an escape.

Ian MacKenzie is editor of Brave New Traveler, and co-founder of the blogging community TravelBlogger. Recently, he also began offering website marketing consulting services specifically for travel websites and service providers.

Think you can spare 10 minutes to travel the world? Here’s a great short film that follows one couple from Spain as they escape their “living dead” existence and head out into the unknown.

Cue: wanderlust. They pack a lot of countries in a short period of time. True, it would have been nice if they mixed up the soundtrack a bit, but overall, an inspirational watch.

Think you’re too busy/too poor/too shy to strike out on your own round the world trip? Check out the great series by Rob Meyer where he busts various travel myths about budget, time, and dangers of the road.

We’re all familiar with the idea of traveling across geography, but what about time?

Theoretical Physicist Michio Kaku presents his case in the above video clip. He also writes more about the idea in an article “The Physics Of Time Travel”

“Not surprisingly, time travel has always been considered impossible. After all, Newton believed that time was like an arrow; once fired, it soared in a straight, undeviating line. One second on the earth was one second on Mars. Clocks scattered throughout the universe beat at the same rate.

Einstein gave us a much more radical picture.

According to Einstein, time was more like a river, which meandered around stars and galaxies, speeding up and slowing down as it passed around massive bodies. One second on the earth was Not one second on Mars. Clocks scattered throughout the universe beat to their own distant drummer.”

If you want to go deeper, watch The First Time Machine and read the fascinating article Timeline Dynamics.

What do you think about time travel? Possible or wishful thinking?

As editor of this magazine, I often receive submissions that fall into the travel narrative category.

This is everything from “My Trip To Ireland” to “Explore Sunny Greece” type travelogues and reviews.

Some of these submissions are quite good, while some are forgettable. But neither are the type of articles I publish here at Brave New Traveler.

Instead, we opt for the news, views, and editorial type articles that discuss the nature of travel – and everything that comes along with it.

Inevitably, this means I must reject many of the hopeful writers that send in their work. Luckily, there are a plethora of other travel magazines that ARE interested in these types of travel writing.

I’ve collected the first 50 travel magazines that I’ve discovered in this handy list.

Feel free to bookmark it, add to delicious or digg it, or forward to your travel writing friends to help spread the word. Enjoy!

1. Tales of Asia
2. Intrepid Travel
3. Dreamscapes
4. Granta
5. Escape Artist
6. Get Lost
7. Outpost
8. Outside
9. Travel Africa
10. The Travel Junkie
11. Explore
12. 21st Century Adventures
13. Culture Connect
14. Glimpse Abroad
15. Tango Diva
16. Pology
17. Student Traveler
18. The Travel Magazine
19. Perceptive Travel
20. Transitions Abroad
21. Travel Magazine UK
22. Lovetripper
23. Inside Out Travel
24. Travel Mag
25. Go World Travel
26. Meander
27. Travel Lady
28. Restless Me
29. Cultural Survival
30. Literary Traveler
31. Stellar Magazine
32. Far Flung
33. Travel World
34. In The Know Traveler
35. Journey Woman
36. Verge
37. Latitudes
38. Common Language Project
39. Destination Elsewhere
40. Third World Traveler
41. Backpacker
42. Wend Magazine
43. Cognoscenti
44. Greatest Escapes
45. Hackwriters
46. National Geographic Traveler
47. RoadJunky
48. So Go Now
49. Travel Classics
50. Travel With A Challenge
51. Traveling Stories
52. Matador Travel
53. Roadtrip Magazine
54. World Hum
55. In Travel Magazine
56. Wave Journey
57. Backpacker Essentials
58. Go Nomad

Do you know anymore that aren’t on the list? Put a link in the comments and I’ll add it above.

When my best friend came to me with an idea last February, I listened. He was just out of college, and didn’t quite know what to do with his life. He was talented, creative, intelligent – any employer would have snapped him up quick.

But instead he decided to start One Week Job.

So he and I built the initial website, cobbled together a press release, and let the universe take over. Pretty wild, considering how far it’s come.

Yes it’s true, after 8 months of slaving over this magazine every morning (and often night), it’s finally reached that magically happy place of attaining decent ad revenue. This comes from a variety of sources, including Google Ads, Text Links, Sponsored Posts, and Banner Ads.

Starting July 1, I will be paying $20 for each original published article. Which means that Brave New Traveler has now entered the ranks of a paying publication.

What is an original published article? It’s an article that is not published anywhere else (including your own blog). This is important for a variety of reasons, but mostly to avoid search engine confusion.

Reprinted articles will remain unpaid, since the reward for an article reprint is usually wider author visibility and traffic sent to their own blogs/websites.

So thanks again to all the readers and writers that have contributed to the success of Brave New Traveler! I’m excited to see what the future holds…

But today was different. Today, I stood in line and ordered the only type of coffee I knew how to pronounce, “regular,” and fished some change out of my wallet. Inbetween my fumbling, I noticed a tiny cup next to the cash register labeled Karma Cup.

I wondered what would happen if I failed to feed it my pennies. Would I walk out of the coffee shop and trip on the sidewalk? Would I cross the street and get hit by a speeding SUV?

Or worse, would I get home and find my house burned to the ground? “Meh,” I shrugged and paid the barista, keeping the change for myself. But secretly, I continued to wonder.

A Dose Of Skepticism

For most people, karma represents the idea that our actions come back to haunt us. Vaguely, it’s believed that a good action will produce good fortune somewhere in the future and a bad action will produce unlucky fortune.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I found it hard to believe my fortune is directly related to helping old ladies cross the street or giving my small change to employees at a coffee shop. So I did a little research.

Karma is a Sanskrit word from the root “Kri,” which means “action.” It exists in the universe as the continuous chain of cause and effect, operating on both the physical and moral level.

Human beings are constantly giving off physical and spiritual forces in all directions. Like a stone that’s dropped in a still pond, our actions ripple out, affecting the web of relationships all around us.

Buddhist monk Takashi Tsuji says,

“In physics we learn that no energy is ever lost; only that it changes form. This is the common law of conservation of energy. Similarly, spiritual and mental action is never lost. It is transformed. Thus karma is the law of the conservation of moral energy.”

Through our actions, thoughts, and words, we release chains of causation into the universe, which in turn affect us by returning in unexpected ways. The entire circumstances surrounding each human is their karma.

The Perils Of Thoughtlessness

I’m sure you’ve seen them on the road: callous travelers who reek of self-righteous entitlement, who give little thought to demanding their own way or trampling over the locals.

On the island of Koh Lanta back in 2006, I remember browsing a small grocery market run by an aged Thai woman. The buzz of motorcycles announced the arrival of three tanned and raucous backpackers, who proceeded to raid the market.

They yelled loudly at each other, tossed fruits between them, asked questions of the Thai owner in a language she didn’t understand, and threw their money at her rather than hand it over when making their purchase. They hopped back on their motorbikes, and moments later, buzzed away.

In the weary eyes and expression of the Thai woman, the encounter had clearly left its mark. I felt like apologizing for all crass tourists everywhere. But too late, negative karmic waves had been set in motion.

Deflecting Karma

Some may argue that being the recipient of bad experiences is the result their own past negative karma – which is possible. Yet by nature, karma is fluid.

Consider the story of Robin Esrock, the founder of modern gonzo. A few years ago he was hit by a car. He broke his knee cap, spent six weeks on crutches, and ended up with a large settlement cheque.

Rather than moan about his misfortune, he turned the accident into an excuse to turn his life around:

I did not immediately equate six weeks on crutches to hiking the Inca Trail or sucking olives on the Dalmatian Coast, but one thing leads to another and here it is – adventures, pictures, video and more from travels to 36 countries on five continents.

It is how we choose to absorb, nullify, or reflect the karmic wave that determines our situation, setting off causal events in an infinite chain that transforms each being and the world around us.

The real key lies in the intent of the person doing the action and the circumstances in which the action takes place.

The Power Of Intent

Smiling at a stranger on the street because you’re about to steal his wallet is unwholesome. Likewise is donating a million dollars to charity so your corporation scores public relations points.

The action is good but the intent is tainted.

Intent is crucial when dealing with karma, which is why animals are not bound by the same karmic rules. A rampaging bear does not have “intent” to kill anyone – it’s simply acting on instinct.

Humans appear to be the only capable beings (at least on this planet) that are able to alter their actions based on self-reflection and contemplation.

This doesn’t mean that humans are better or worse than animals, yet it’s generally irrefutable that we possess mental capacities beyond any other species.

Unintentional Action

Neutral karma is the third type, which has no moral consequence because the very nature of the action has no moral consequence or because it is done involuntarily and unintentionally.

For example, sleeping, walking, and breathing have no moral consequences in themselves. Similarly, “unintentional” action is neutral karma.

I’m reminded of a story that my wife told me a few years ago about a visit to Mexico. She explained how she had left the hotel to wander the humid streets with her family, wearing a modest pair of shorts; apparently in Mexican culture, only whores wear shorts.

When this was brought to her attention by her Mexican step-sister, she immediately apologised and felt terrible ever since. Clearly, she had no intention of traversing the cultural custom and drawing rude solicitations from a few local men.

Being unconscious of the custom’s existence, her actions could be considered karmically neutral, as she lacked the intention to offend.

Before you start accusing all the people throughout history who have caused endless suffering with their good intentions, consider that they failed to recognise the suffering their actions would cause.

Or if they were conscious of the horrendous suffering, they turned a blind eye, because they deluded themselves into believing it was for the greater good.

These are examples of people failing to recognise their negative karmic actions and ignoring the possibility of foreseeable consequences.

It’s like a boy getting his girlfriend pregnant because he didn’t wear a condom, who then protests, “But I didn’t intend to get her pregnant!” Tough luck. That’s consequence for you.

A Few Final Words

If that didn’t go right over your head, I have one last point to make regarding karma: karma should not be confused with fate. I tried explaining this to my friend while waiting for the bus, and it proved more difficult than I thought.

Fate is the belief that a person’s life is predetermined by some external power, and that we have no control over our destiny.

Karma, on the other hand, can be changed. Because we are conscious beings, we can be aware of our karma and thus strive to change the course of events.

In other words, as we go through our lives sending and receiving waves of causality, we can choose how to interpret and act on these waves.

“All that we are is a result of what we have thought, it is founded on our thoughts and made up of our thoughts,” said the Buddha when questioned about ethics.

He believed we are entirely dependent on what we think. Not in the sense that what we happen to think makes our relative realities true, but that our actions are governed by how we perceive ourselves and the world around us.

The aim is not to make ourselves suffer, or inflict suffering on others, but to “see” reality as it really is, without our personal biases clouding our vision.

When we’re able to see reality, we realise how our actions affect others and are more likely to proceed with wisdom and compassion.

Now go out there and do some good.

Ian MacKenzie is editor of Brave New Traveler, and co-founder of the blogging community TravelBlogger. Aside from writing, he spends his time exploring the fundamental nature of existence and wishing he did more backpacking.

Often more than writing, video can paint a picture of a destination guaranteed to inspire rabid wanderlust. For this reason, we’ll be incorporating more video clips into our mix.

Courtesy of Travelistic, here’s their top viewed travel videos from the week (including Japanese Meal above):

• Bali Spa & Massage
• Guide To Havana, Cuba
• Diving With The Sharks
• The Map in Jost Van Dyke

Any brilliant travel clips you’ve seen lately?

Another great find over on VideoJug.com, this film showcases a few in-flight exercises that will have you stretched and creeping out your seat neighbours in no time.

Any of your own stretches you would add to the mix?

These days, everyone seems to agree the planet is warming up. What we don’t agree on are the reasons why: human caused or natural?

Personally, I figured the resounding consensus among the world’s scientists fingering humanity as the cause was reason enough, but what do I know?

Anyway, the short video above aims to silence this largely irrelevant debate in favour of the more pressing issue: what are the consequences if we choose a course of action…and we’re wrong?

Or at least that’s what we’re led to believe when listening to local guides with a macabre sense of humour.

During my travels, I’ve survived encounters with deadly Fijian sea snakes, tarantulas in Australia’s Outback, and even a face-to-face stare down with some local Vancouver deer.

So I suppose it was only the universe balancing itself out when it decided to hide a wayward scorpion in my T-shirt on my Costa Rica honeymoon.

The setting: lush, thick jungle miles away from the nearest city. The accommodation: Pacuare Lodge, a stunning eco-location offering beautiful bungalows and no electricity.

A Unknown Assailant

On our first morning at the lodge, Karen and I decided to go for a hike with our guide. My shirt had gotten wet from the previous day of rafting, so I’d left it to dry on the outside patio, where I retrieved it when dressing for our hike. I threw the shirt on and began walking down the stone path.

Suddenly: a painful jab in my shoulder. I spun around. Had something landed on me? Perhaps a rabid humming-bird or giant mosquito? Again, a jab. No, a sting! Multiple stings!

I spun around like a man possessed, ripping off my T-shirt and throwing it to the ground in a single motion. The stinging immediately stopped, revealing the assailant must have been between the shirt and my skin.

I cautiously used a stick to push aside the fabric, showing a particularly smug scorpion nestled in my clothing. “It’s a scorpion!” I exclaimed to Karen.

She immediately flew into a frenzy, fearing if the variety in Costa Rica were as poisonous as their Mexican and Australian cousins.

We ran to find our guide, Pascal. Breathless, I mouthed “Scorpion! Stung me! Am I dead?” He checked my scars, asked if I was allergic to scorpion stings. “I dunno,” replied. “I’ve never been stung by a scorpion before.”

“Okay,” he said. “I think you’ll be okay. But just so you know, the pain will get worse for a few hours before it gets better.” He made a upward incline with his hand to illustrate. Comforting, I thought.

A Lesson Learned

Was it as painful as he described? Yes. Did that stop me from asking Karen to take a few photos after I knew my life would be spared? Of course not. These are the experiences that make good stories later.

And on top of that, the attack had put “the fear” into us for the rest of the trip, compelling us to be extra cautious to avoid the snakes, bullet ants, and other crawlies that made their homes in the jungle.

What about you? Sparing anything too grisly, what’s the worst insect/animal attack you’ve been privileged to experience?

Share your stories in the comments!

The mantra of today’s air traveler seems to be “just get me there.” No frills, extra pillows, peanuts, or other perks must get in the way of the cheapest airfare possible. The industry is at each other’s throats weekly, each airline trying to undercut the other.

And the pricing war has been hastened by the arrival of internet airfare comparision tools, Firefox add-ons, RSS feeds, and other ways of tracking the rise and fall of best airfares.

But there’s one segment of the airline industry that has been overlooked by the bigger portals like Kayak and Expedia – a bevy of discount airlines have so far eluded much of the mainstream.

These airlines, over 100 throughout the world, are usually small, no frills, and ultimately inexpensive.

This was the unknown undercurrent that John Hostetler discovered when traveling through Europe in 2004, and decided to start the airline comparison website AirNinja.com.

The site is refreshingly simple, with little distractions from the task at hand – mainly, allowing you to search discount airline routes. If you don’t know exactly where to start, you can browse by city or by airline.

The beauty (or downfall) of AirNinja.com is they don’t actually show any prices, but they do reveal harder to find airline routes that give you the full story when you’re trying to find the best carrier.

From there, you can book your flight directly with the airline, paying none of the middle-agent fees charged by the bigger portals along the way.

Along with the search engine tool, AirNinja.com also offers a few handy articles, including How To Find Cheap Flights in 3 Easy Steps and Discount Airline Tips.

Basically, AirNinja.com aims to be the first stop for travelers looking for the whole story on routes from both discount and non-discount airlines. The more you know, the better informed (and less you’ll pay) when booking your flight.

Have you tried AirNinja.com? Share your experience in the comments!

The flight attendants closed the doors, checked all overhead compartments, and our plane geared up to pull out of the gate. We made it about 10 feet before the electrical system died.

Yes, died.

The plane hushed and came to a stop. The passengers glanced at each other with obvious surprise. A moment later the captain’s voice crackled over the intercom:

“Uh, yes, it seems our electrical system has conked out on us. But don’t worry folks, this is actually our secondary system, which we only use to taxi in and out of the gate. We don’t use this system in-flight. We’ll just restart the engine and be on our way.”

My wife reached over and clamped her hand around mine. Needless to say, our comfort towards flying did not increase.

Runaway Anxiety

I used to be okay with flying. There was a bit of nausea during takeoff and landing, but otherwise, I never quite let the cold, clammy fingernails of terror trickle down my spine.

But the incident above was not the only one during our trip. All four of our flights experienced complications: from the air-conditioning malfunctioning, to electrical storms, to closed airports, to emergency diversions for refueling.

Could it be we just have bad luck? Not so, I realized, considering Rolf Pott’s described a similar situation in a recent World Hum post:

We started flying in circles. Then the pilot kept coming back on saying, “Another 20 minutes.” Then he said we were running out of fuel so we were going to have to land in Baltimore. In this day and age, when you get these cryptic messages from your pilot, you get a little nervous. We were coming in for a landing in Baltimore and were about 10 feet off the ground when we pulled up again. That was a little freaky.

And consider this sobering statistic reported by Chris Elliot:

Buried in the latest government figures about the airline industry is one number that is bound to fill every air traveler with dread: Complaints are up an eye-popping 77 percent from a year ago.

“In April, the Department received 1,246 complaints from consumers about airline service, up 76.7 percent from the 705 complaints received in April 2006,” it says. “But 4.9 percent fewer than the 1,310 filed in March 2007.”

Flying really has gotten worse.

Statistically Speaking

On the ground, it’s easy to convince yourself the chances of actually dying in a plane crash are slim (1 in 5051).

But in the air, while circling a massive electrical storm, it’s more difficult to stop the vivid imaginings of the plane being ripped apart, the engine falling off, a lighting bolt striking the wing, a gremlin unfastening the doors, etc…

Why do we fear the unlikely causes of death? I previously explored this topic “What You Think Probably Won’t Kill You” and again found it revisited in a recent article by Scientific American.

Basically, the author wrote, psychological science has identified four factors that feed our risk intuitions:

• 1. We fear what our ancestral history has prepared us to fear – With our old brain living in a new world, we are disposed to fear confinement and heights, snakes and spiders, and humans outside our tribe.
• 2. We fear what we cannot control – Behind the wheel of our car, but not in airplane seat 17B, we feel control.
• 3. We fear what is immediate – Smoking’s lethality and the threats of rising seas and extreme weather are in the distant future. The airplane take-off is now.
• 4. We fear threats readily available in memory – If a surface to air missile brings down a single American Airliner, the result will be traumatic for the airline industry. Given the difficulty in grasping the infinitesimal odds of its being (among 11 million annual airline flights) the plane we are on, probabilities will not persuade us. Intuitive fears will hijack the rational mind.

Makes sense. But try as I might, I spent my recent flights with stomach clenched and sweat greasing the palms of my hands. While I was able to fight off complete panic attacks, the journey was far from a pleasant experience.

By the time the planes landed, it would take hours before any sort of relaxation returned. And just the thought of hopping back on a plane is enough to quiver my core.

The Remaining Options

It’s possible you’re in a similar situation. So what are the alternatives? I figure there are three:

I could stop flying. But I love traveling so much, this is not really an option.

I could work on convincing myself that air travel is safer than being on the road, that accidents are rare, and that I lack ability to control the outcome of a flight anyway. Whatever happens, happens. Deal with it.

Or lastly, I could try something I’ve never done before: the wonderful world of anxiety suppressing drugs.

Ian MacKenzie is editor of Brave New Traveler, and co-founder of the blogging community TravelBlogger. Aside from writing, he spends his time exploring the fundamental nature of existence and wishing he did more backpacking.

Are you in a similar situation? How have you dealt with the fear of flying?

Meet Jose Bennett / Photo: Ian MacKenzie

You’ve just arrived in a new town, beach, or city after a grueling number of hours on a bus or airplane. You dump your bags at your hostel, still sweaty with the heat and exertion.

What’s the first thing you do? Check the internet. Okay what’s the second thing you do?

Head to the beach, park, or just about anywhere with the room to stretch out your aching muscles and ease your turbulent worries.

Recently, while in Nosara, Costa Rica on my honeymoon, my wife and I stayed at the amazing Harmony Hotel, which also happened to have The Healing Centre next door – a place of relaxation, yoga, and massages.

There we met yoga instructor Josie Bennett, who was kind enough to come up with this short stretching routine that you can learn and practice just about anywhere. Enjoy!

Simple Beach Yoga with Jose Bennett

(Note: click the “print” icon at the top of this article to print this out and take it with you on your trip!)

1. Deep Breath

First take a deep breath. Relax your shoulders and give a big sigh. Try to relax your whole body.

2.Torso Twist

Place your feet about hip distance apart, with a slight bend in your knees. Keep your hips square. Begin moving your upper body side to side with your arms stretched out. Make sure your head moves in synch with your torso.

3. Shoulder Roll

Roll your shoulders slowly forward, keeping your arms straight. After a few repetitions, roll your shoulders back. Then move each one at a time, alternating each shoulder, forward and back.

4. Neck Stretch

Drop your arms and roll your head to your right shoulder, then back to your left. Let your head hang heavy as you roll. As you stretch, inhale and send your breath to the opposite space beside your head.

5. Rag Doll

Reach far back, bending at the waist, then exhale, bending forward like a rag doll. Let your limbs hang loosely.

6. Squat

Drop your hips down to the ground, keep your spine straight. Broaden the space across your chest and clasp your hands together, pushing your elbows against your legs.

7. Left Leg Back

Lift your hips off the ground and plant your hands on the ground. Shoot your left leg straight back, and keep your right leg bent at the knee under your chest. Push your hips into the ground to stretch.

8. Right Knee Straight

Bend over your front leg, keeping your right hip in line with your right knee. Flex your toes and fold over your leg as much as it’s comfortable.

9. Repeat 7 and 8 with the opposite leg.

10. Parsvokonasana

Step out to the side. Turn your right foot so it faces forward, with your back foot at a 45 degree angle. Bend your right knee in line with your right ankle. Place your right elbow on your right knee. Make sure your back leg is straight and active. Reach your left arm overhead. If you want, you can make circles with your stretched arm. Aftwards, repeat on your opposite leg.

11. Forward Fold

Lift knee caps, and straighten your legs. Inhale, then fold forward at the hips, hands to the ground. Take a few deep breaths. Reach your hand up, twising at the torso, keeping your chest open. After, repeat on your opposite side.

12.Tree Pose

Stand tall, bend one leg and place your foot anywhere on the other leg. Avoid placing it directly on your knee. Keep your shoulders back, clasping your hands. You can hold this pose as long as you feel comfortable, but try for at least 10 seconds without falling. Repeat with the opposite leg.

13. Cross-legged Sit

Sit down and cross your legs, keeping your shoulders back and your spine straight straight. Reach the top of your head towards the sky. Keep your hands on your knees. Close your eyes if you like, or softly gaze in front of you.

Be aware of the sounds around you – the waves, the animals, the people, the breeze. Give thanks for being where you are, and the time and the body to practice these techniques.

Check out the Beach Yoga Flickr Photoset for full photos and instruction.

However it doesn’t appear that many readers have theirs set up, so I figured I would take a moment to give a quick explanation.

What Is A Gravatar?

A gravatar, or globally recognized avatar, is quite simply an 80×80 pixel avatar image that follows you from weblog to weblog appearing beside your name when you comment on gravatar enabled sites.

How To I Set It Up?

Head over to the official Gravatar website, sign up (it’s free), and upload a gravatar. You can associate different gravatars with different emails.

How Do I Use It?

Easy. When you comment on blogs that have gravatars enabled (like this one) it will automatically add your photo, based on the email you use.

How Do I Get Gravatars On My Own Blog?

Also easy! They’ve got a great Gravatar implementor’s guide dedicated to information on implementing gravatars on your blog.

Seems the time for travel/internet hybrid shows has finally come. First there was 5 Takes, then more recently, GlobeRoamer TV.

Now there’s Word Travels – a 13-part half hour travel series to be broadcast on Canada’s OLN in early 2008. And who are the incredibly lucky participants in this new venture? None other than previously featured travel writers Robin Esrock and Julia Dimon.

Must…suppress…murderous…envy. Just kidding. Congratulations to both writers, and no doubt, you’re probably looking forward to the first episode of this sure-to-be-interesting series.

For more info, head over to Modern Gonzo.

I know it’s happened to my wife and I (Koh Lanta, Thailand and Nosara, Costa Rica come to mind). We’ve daydreamed about the possibility of returning for longer than a few days, or even a few weeks. We wanted to experience life as a local.

What are the options? Unless you can convince a friend to donate their couch for an extended stay, you basically have to rent an apartment or the more affordable solution: do a home exchange.

As far as I understand, it works like this: you sign your apartment or house up on a home exchange website, while you troll other listings for a place that catches your eye. You contact the owner, agree to the terms, and swap houses. Pretty sweet.

Indeed, I’ve thought about it, but I still wasn’t convinced it was worth the effort.

So when Lois Sealey from Home Base Holidays wrote me recently to see if I wanted to do a story on the idea, I challenged her to come up with her best reasons for trying a home exchange.

Appropriately enough, here’s what she came up with: 6 Reasons To Try A Home Exchange

Have you ever tried or thought about doing a home exchange? Share your experiences in the comments!

If you’re like most backpackers/travelers these days, you’re already itching for an internet cafe to connect with your friends and family back home. Perhaps the urge arises from the need to share your latest travel stories. Or perhaps it’s a version of web-addiction. Whatever you want to call it, the urge must be quenched.

So you head out into the city. If you’re anywhere near a backpacker strip, you’ll probably stumble into an internet cafe before you know it. But if you’re outside the tourist trenches, it can be harder to locate internet access without a little help.

Here are four internet cafe directories to help you on your search.

Cybercafes – Listing thousands of cafes worldwide, this directory is quick and easy. Each listing provides hourly rates for access, number of terminals, link to the cafe’s website, and handy directions.

Net Cafe Guide – This directory lets you search by city, then reveals results based on area. Also lists hourly rates, contact info, description of the cafes and more.

Cybercafe Search Engine – Offering old-school charm (circa web design from pre 1998) this internet cafe search engine is beautiful in its simplicity. Massive listings are updated daily, which offer little more than the name, address, and website of each location.

Google Maps – Of course, how could I exclude the insatiable behemoth that is Google from the list? Simply by searching for “internet cafes” and the city in question will reveal a number of locations, indicated by those cute ‘wittle map pins.

So there you have it. Go forth upon the world with your newfound knowledge, and never let an internet cafe elude you ever again.

Any web service I missed? Share in the comments!