The Adventure Of A Lifetime Begins

Tomorrow morning when I awake, walk out of my flat and head to the bus station I will begin the adventure of a lifetime. I will get on a bus and head off towards Malaysia and the famed spice trading city of Malacca. After that I do not know where I will go, nor do I care. And neither do I know how long I will be gone. Six months? A year? Longer? Does it matter? The world awaits.

All I know is that the road is before me and it calls. It calls me from a deep place in my soul, a place I thought I could control, a place I thought I had pushed it down into where it would never come out again.

After returning from Istanbul this time last year--has it been that long?--I set myself a task: to rejoin society, clean up my act, recover from the mess my marriage had become, get a real job and try and live a 'normal' life. I achieved this task. I found a great job. Worked hard, made decent money. Earned the respect of peers in a totally new industry. And I re-learned, most importantly to myself, that with hard-work and determination I could achieve anything. And yet, as the course of the year progressed the yearning for the road grew deeper and deeper. A powerful need to see, to witness and experience all that this glorious world has to offer grew and grew and grew until finally I surrendered.

More after the jump

But it is more than just the road that calls. There is a propulsion behind this need as well. The need to escape from the consumerism, the expectations of society, the small indignities we all endure on a daily basis just to survive, all those things we call 'normality'. Well, I just don't fit. Never will. I accept that. And that acceptance is what I choose to call freedom. The choice to be who I am, make of myself what I am and what I can become unfettered by all the restraints that society, friends, work and family impose. (Not that I don't love my family deeply or miss my friends sorely. Both, more than anyone can imagine, for the road is a glorious place, but it is a lonely one too. Very lonely.)

And yet I go out into the anxious light of the unknown, seeking the god's only know, if but to live and breathe free for a day, a week, a month or more.

There are only two rules: no flying and I must see Penguins.

As for the practicalities of the journey--and there are always practicalities to deal with, after all, they are unavoidable--well, those have been taken care of. I have left my job, the vast majority of my possessions and am only encumbered by a 35 pound backpack I carry with me. To some that may sound like the height of foolishness. Perhaps. But as I put my backpack on last night, looked around my empty apartment here in Singapore and realized that everything I possessed was strapped on tight I felt a wave of freedom and excitement wash over me. There is nothing holding me back from the world. I have an American passport, which allows me the freedom to travel anywhere in the world and I have a list of places to see: a little black book entitled, "Things Yet Seen." It's filled with all kinds of oddities, from the old Spice Trail in Yemen and the Island of Socotra, to Patna, if but to sit for a moment under the Bodhi tree where the Buddha attained enlightenment, the Taj Mahal, to a small Roman inscription in Syria purported to be the only Roman to ever travel from the West to China, during its glory days under the Han. "Things Yet Seen." It has a nice ring to it. And so, I go out into the world to honor the words of the great Polish travel writer Ryszard Kapuscinski who wrote in his last book:

"Is not our first thought to go on the road? The road is our source, our vault of treasures, our wealth. Only on the road does the 'traveller' feel like himself, at home."

To some this may seem like good-bye, but if I have learned anything in my travels thus far, there are no good-byes. We always seem to meet again. Rest assured, it will all be blogged here, at The Agonist as I move about from place to place.

True wealth lies out there somewhere in the great experience of the world. And so I go out at this very moment to live my dream.

Sean Paul Kelley September 23, 2008 - 9:53am

Sean Paul Kelley's diary | printer friendly version |

( categories: Agonist Travel Journals )

Wow. Good luck, SP. Godspeed.

_{"Frankly, we've lost a lot in recent years." - General Colin Powell}

Raja September 23, 2008 - 10:06am

I'm shocked!

By the 35 pound backpack. That's a heavy backpack to carry! Good luck.

creativelcro September 23, 2008 - 10:07am

Well, I am going to be gone a while, you know? ;-)

^{“Is not our first thought to go on the road? The road is our source, our vault of treasures, our wealth. Only on the road does the ‘traveller’ feel like himself, at home.”

Ryszard Kapuscinski}

Sean Paul Kelley September 23, 2008 - 10:13am

Keep agonist.org going

I hope you plan on keeping agonist.org going. You might not be able to write often but I would like to know that when you can you will, and you would do so at this bookmark.

If keeping agonist.org becomes a financial struggle in any way please let us know so we can keep the site alive...waiting for your reports.

Gosh, it all sounds so inviting I'm tempted to leave myself...but I'm running for re-election to my city council where I've many adventures yet to unfold (recapturing democracy and building a counter culture, don't you know).

OregonJohn September 23, 2008 - 2:37pm

While looking...

...for an Edward Abbey quote (I didn't find the one I sought), I found this.

“May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.”

And a whole lot more worth reading.

http://thinkexist.com/quotes/edward_abbey/

For whatever it's worth, I didn't figure Singapore could hold your attention for long. What was it, a month?

I did inhale.

Don September 23, 2008 - 10:19am

Three months, but I had been planning this for months anyway and

Singapore happened to be a convenient jumping off point, especially (and I know this may seem crass) as someone else paid for my flight here. ;-)

I originally intended to return home and work til February and the head south into Mexico and South America but hey, I'm here so why not start here?

Sean Paul Kelley September 23, 2008 - 10:24am

Don's quote brought to mind one of my old standbys...

...we all seem to have gone through Tolkien phases in our lives at some point....usually in our teens or early 20's....

The road goes ever on and on...

-5.75,-4.05
"God gives men a brain and a penis, and only enough blood to run one at a time." -- Robin Williams

justadood September 23, 2008 - 10:25am

Wish you..

happy trails !

incy September 23, 2008 - 10:28am

Reminds me of Frost...

"I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."

or Dr. Seuss
"Oh the places you'll go."

NateTG September 23, 2008 - 10:46am

sweet

if i didn't have all these friggin debts I would go on such a venture... Sounds awesome. Brief job in Singapore though?

--
Hongpong.com

HongPong September 23, 2008 - 11:37am

Wow.

Good luck, have fun!

Bolo September 23, 2008 - 11:38am

Good luck. Be careful. Have fun. Don't forget your jacket.

We'll wait here.

Chickadee September 23, 2008 - 11:54am

Sean-Paul

my dreams won't be yours. Hope you find satisfaction from the new place you're going. Bon Voyage and I wish you the very, best of luck!

Feel free to print this out and fasten to your door as you're leaving:

canuck September 23, 2008 - 12:24pm

Possilble in the US?

I found a great job. Worked hard, made decent money. Earned the respect of peers in a totally new industry. And I re-learned, most importantly to myself, that with hard-work and determination I could achieve anything.

I wonder if this is possible in the US, instead of Malaysia?

I get the sense that it isn't anymore. I think that this quality is what people think of when they think of the USA -- the "land of opportunity". But I wonder if our economic system has become so rigid that it doesn't allow nearly as many opportunities anymore.

Could someone in the US walk into a company in a completely different industry and get a job? I don't think so, at least not most. We have become addicted to credentials, and if you don't have the proper credentials, usually the proper degree and commensurate experience, you don't have an entry point.

Can someone in the US set up their own shop and compete? I don't think so, at least not most -- most sectors are dominated by huge players and the average (not extraordinary) person can't compete.

Under the current system, is it easy to pick your profession as an adult? I don't think so, at least not for most. These days you need specialized advanced degrees for just about anything, and you need to find a high-paying job to support the debt you incur to get them. Decisions need to be made years, possibly decades before you are capable of actually making them rationally.

That is what I think is wrong with this country, and the rest are just symptoms. Too many poor unemployed people? Maybe the problem isn't theirs, maybe it's ours. Maybe it's not that they aren't qualified enough for the current opportunities, maybe it's that we need more opportunities for people of their qualifications.

NoPolitician September 23, 2008 - 12:37pm

True

When I went to South Africa, people reinvented themselves.
Tom, a mechanic became a photographer.
Any, an Engineer, went into sales, and successfully started his own company.
Tim, an engineer, ended up running many breweries.
Richard, became an advertising copywriter.

It was easy to change professions. Not "Masters Degree Required"

In the US and UK? Not so easy as you write. Not at all.

The wonderful thing about South Africa was the attitude, summed up in

'N Boer mak 'n plan. A farmer makes a plan. Meaning, make a plan, and if it fails, learn and start again. The attitude was to punish sloth. To me it appears the US culture punishes failure.

Synoia September 23, 2008 - 1:09pm

Good Luck

If you get to Southern Africa, let me know. I still have friends in Joburg & The Cape.

Synoia September 23, 2008 - 1:02pm

As your investment counsellor,

let me commend you on choosing to invest in growth, experience and wisdom.

Can't be foreclosed on or repossessed. Not taxable. Not subject to market conditions that can cut their value in half overnight. Not subject to inflation. Can't be manipulated by speculators. Very portable. And they're the only thing that can guarantee you *real* comfort and security when old age sets in - not the pale fiscalized substitute most pursue.

Always be exactly where you are. Check in and let us know how you're doing if you can - but only insofar as doing so doesn't breach that first essential rule.

We'll be here when you get back.

"The best-informed man is not necessarily the wisest. Indeed there is a danger that precisely in the multiplicity of his knowledge he will lose sight of what is essential."

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Escher Sketch September 23, 2008 - 1:41pm

Bon voyage

Can't think of anything pithy to write. Good travels and good living.

Amos Anan September 23, 2008 - 2:11pm

Ahhh ... I can only dream

of doing what you're doing. I envy you from the bottom of my heart.

Travel well and be safe. When in doubt, always err on the side of caution is a saying I used to place at the end of each email to my daughter when she lived in South Africa. I believe it stood her well. When, on their way home from a night out, she and three girlfriends noticed 5 guys in the distance, she was the only one who immediately bolted. The other girls didn't believe my daughter's warning and as a result, they were attacked and beaten. In the meantime, my daughter sounded the alarm and helped save her friends from a worse ending.

So this one is for you, SP... When in doubt, always err on the side of caution

_{"While not a Playboy reader, she invites a male acquaintance in for a quiet discussion of Chagall, Nietzsche, jazz, sex." - not a Hugh Hefner quote}

adrena September 23, 2008 - 3:17pm

:Thich Nhat Hanh said

Thich Nhat Hanh said ""Allow yourself to be a torch, and allow the flame of your torch to be transmitted to other torches. Practicing like that, you can help peace and joy grow in the entire world". S.P., you have already lit many torches, and it is your destiny to light many more. Your journey continues, and we all give you our respect, admiration and blessings. Happy Trails!
lesbrost

lesbrost September 23, 2008 - 3:21pm

Good Luck Sean-Paul

Write us once in a while and send a few pix. Your perspectives have only broadened for as long as I have been reading Agonist...it would be interesting to see how much further you can open your mind.

Freedom is not more important than fairness, just easier to sell and a lot easier to fake.

greensmile September 23, 2008 - 3:46pm

I am well and truly jealous

I am well and truly jealous and I hate to admit that. Good luck and take care, Sean Paul...you know where we'll all be and we'll be anxious to hear from you to have you tell us your adventures.

Oh, and I heard you this morning on Chris Duel's show and I really appreciated all you had to say and how angry you were.

abo gato September 23, 2008 - 5:38pm

Very Cool

SP, good luck, keep your eyes open and that camera clicking.

See you on the other side, buddy.

Jimbo

Jimbo92107 September 23, 2008 - 5:55pm

Could Not Resist

posting the lyric to this 1956 song:

"The wayward wind is a restless wind,
A restless wind that yearns to wander;
And he was born the next of kin,
The next of kin, to the wayward wind."

Credits:
Written by Stan Lebowsky and Herb Newman,
Sheet music published by Hal Leonard, Inc

Que le vaya bien...

"All I know is just what I read in the newspapers." - Will Rogers

readr satx September 23, 2008 - 6:50pm

tiger leaping gorge, lijaing, yunann, P.R.C.

Sean Paul;

it took a whole year to get to Tiger Leaping Gorge,,,and it was truly worth it.

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=57885&id=682433184&ref=mf

tavi September 23, 2008 - 8:40pm

Already been there once before, but hey, why not again? eom

Sean Paul Kelley September 24, 2008 - 1:26am

You're blogging from a bus???

Addict :D

- EOM

"The best-informed man is not necessarily the wisest. Indeed there is a danger that precisely in the multiplicity of his knowledge he will lose sight of what is essential."

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Escher Sketch September 24, 2008 - 2:07am

Have wonderful time,

Have wonderful time, Sean-Paul. I am envious.

Is Lijiang, Laos, back doors to Tibet on your list? They're on mine, but off in the future somewhere way beyond this year.

Buena suerte!

Tom Robinson

“Something hidden. Go and find it. Go and look behind the Ranges—
“Something lost behind the Ranges. Lost and waiting for you. Go!”
-Rudyard Kipling

trob September 23, 2008 - 8:45pm

I remember a TV show when I was a kid

called "Then Came Bronson" about a travelling guy on a Harley Sportster with no clear destination. The lead in to each episode was Bronson (Michael Parks) coming alongside a guy in a station wagon full of kids. The exchange went as follows:

* Driver: "Taking a trip?"
* Bronson: "What's that?"
* Driver: "Taking a trip?"
* Bronson: "Yeah."
* Driver: "Where to?"
* Bronson: "Oh, I don't know. Wherever I end up, I guess."
* Driver: "Pal, I wish I was you."
* Bronson: "Really?"
* Driver: "Yeah."
* Bronson: "Well, hang in there."

Me too.

“I despise ideologues masquerading as objective journalists.” - Bill O'Reilly, March 30, 2007

Mark September 23, 2008 - 9:21pm

First You Have to Row a Little Boat

A bit envious, particularly since I have traveled extensively. I am impatiently waiting for my next adventure. People often say they do not have the time to go, or they are constrained by this, that or the other. Sometimes, you just have to get up and go. As such, I never forget the following words I live by . . .

"For the truth is that I already know as much about my fate as I need to know. The day will come when I will die. So the only matter of consequence before me is what I will do with my allotted time. I can remain on shore, paralyzed with fear, or I can raise my sails and dip and soar in the breeze."

- Richard Bode, First You Have to Row a Little Boat

liquid September 24, 2008 - 10:24pm

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