Introspective Journey

While I have really enjoyed the last 6 weeks, as they have been filled with so many magical experiences, I cannot help but notice that the calm, clarity and serenity I gathered while in Omkareshwar are slipping away from me as I have returned to the world of do, do, do, go, go, go and planning my next move.

To an extent I must engage in thoughts of planning as my flight to Bangkok is scheduled for next month and thus I must decide if I am going to adhere to that date of departure or change it. Actually, that is the easy part as I am certain I want to extend my stay in India. The challenge is determining when to reschedule for. There are so many factors to consider including the upcoming monsoon season that is scheduled to hit both India and the SE Asian region I am planning to visit next, tentative plans I have made to meet friends at future destinations, a deep desire to see the south of India in the fall, a strong sense of responsibility to be back in NYC by November to cast my vote against the future of the Bush administration, a faint feeling that for once I should consider my responsibility to nurture myself through this voyage above my civic duty as a citizen. . .

This last issue is particularly present as I travel through Tibet. I can not help but feel an urgency to do everything in my power to ensure that the USA is governed by an administration with a commitment to building a just and humane world for ALL of it's citizens, one that will pursue such a vision through bold leadership and policies, both domestic and international, that reflect the democratic values that we stand for with the utmost of integrity. At the same time I am reminded of the passage in the end of the Dalai Lamas autobiography “Freedom in Exile” where he expresses that the best way for ordinary citizens of the west to assist with the Tibetan cause is to learn what they can and share their knowledge broadly. As I walk among the Tibetan people, with their rich Buddhist culture of selfless compassion for all sentient beings that is being forcibly dissolved against their will and at the hands of a political system ruled by a drive for power, I am deeply torn.

At this very moment I feel the unique opportunity I have to travel, learn, observe, record, and share my insights about my global brothers and sisters is in many ways a more precious contribution than one vote. This is the choice that allows my mind and heart to rest.

Thus, I am going to extend my trip, go deeper within the cultures around me and within myself, and hopefully cultivate some awareness that encourage those who read my postings to stop, reflect, question and tune into their own internal wisdom.