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thoughts

~ The Road Less Travelled ~

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~ The Road Less Travelled ~

“Always say no to the things that insult your soul. If the safe highway requires you to feel pain, then walk alone through a forest of bliss. There is a priceless pleasure in living a life true to yourself. It is not something that can be purchased in a store, or downloaded onto a computer, or stored in a house. It is the magic of the wild – the magic of trusting yourself to the water and learning how to swim. Yes, the path can get scary, and you often walk alone, but better to breathe in the air of solitude than to slowly suffocate to death in a crowd.”

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thoughts

~ A Thought For Her ~

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“Yes, I know you are hurting. This world has broken you. It breaks many of us at some point. But you are not going to give in because I can still see the flames that will start a great fire still flickering within those eyes. You are going to overcome this, but know that it’s not going to be easy. The warrior inside you doesn’t even want it to be. It’s going to be a great battle in which you shall dive down and rescue yourself from the depths of hell. Soon that darkness will pass, the dungeons will be unlocked, the dragons and demons will leave your skies. A new dawn shall arrive as the flags of joy in your heart flutter once more in that morning wind. This is it: the greatest battle you will ever face and you will face it as who you really are: a child of infinity; a warrior of the sun. And it is a battle you are going to win. But first remember to be gentle to yourself. You are not responsible for saving the world, but first yourself, and please know that you are worth saving. Those eyes were meant to blaze with brightness, not wither with gloom; those feet were meant to dance in ecstasy, not trudge in the swamp.

In all your despair, you have forgotten that you are the entire universe dancing in a singular being for a singular lifetime. Stars have died; light has travelled billions of years; cosmic magic has been weaved. Your very flesh contains the fundamental fabric of the entire universe and no matter what anyone says: you matter and you count. So go on: do whatever it takes. Go crazy if you have to. Reinvent yourself. Set fire to your soul and let the battle begin; let your spirit be unleashed. Because there is no way a divine being such as yourself was meant to dwell in darkness and despair. Those days are over and now is the time to emerge from that swamp; now is the time is now to claim back what is yours. With the power of a million suns burning deep inside your heart, now is the time is to rise up and become who you were born to be.”

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articles

~ Expanding Horizons ~

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~ Expanding Horizons ~

“Your life is a miracle. An unprecedented phenomenon that can never, or will never, be matched on any imaginable level. The very fact that you are currently conscious reading and understanding these letters, words and sentences is a moment in which its recipe consists of infinite combinations of abstract events happening in the right space at the right time. The optimum position of our planet in the universe; the perfect conditions on earth for life to flourish and evolve; the very fact that your parents went out to the same place on the same day and met each other. Just think: above anyone else that day, in any place, at any moment, they met each other – and you and your ridiculously complex DNA were the result. Just like they were when their parents before them met each other. And their parents. And their parents. The very fact that all these endless combinations of events led to your being on this earth means that your very existence is miraculous – a stoic defiance of the odds and the culmination of a billion unlikely things all gelling together in perfect discourse. YOU are a miracle. So revel in it. Celebrate it. Your life should be a symphony.

But it throws me – life, sometimes. It saddens me even. Amongst this grand symphony of existence on the magnificent stage of planet earth, I look around and I see so many of us consumed by monotony, recklessly killing the precious time that has been gifted to us. I see so many of us plodding along aimlessly, burying our desires, toiling endlessly in a job that we have no interest in – contentedly dwelling in dead-end towns where nothing ever happens until our minds and bodies become old and weathered. With our precious time on this earth dissipating as we sit comfortably on a sedentary cushion, we so easily fall into the trap of drawing the curtains on our world and perpetually living a systematic and samey routine in which we let days become weeks, let weeks become months, and let months inevitably become years. So many amazing opportunities and experiences drifting on by in the great ocean of time out in this vast world – yet we don’t reach out to explore and experience. And why? Why in a universe of violent bursts and endless movement do so many of us let our lives and horizons become so static and still? Why in a world where we could explore and experience a million different things do we persist in doing the same ones week in, week out?

I don’t hasten to say it, but I believe it to be so –  just because it’s easy.  It’s easy for us to get accustomed and stay in one place; it’s convenient for us to only ever interact to the same people; it’s comfortable for us to perpetually relive the same week and repeat the same habits for a lifetime. Due to the impulses of comfort, routine and security, a world can become a bubble – and eventually that bubble can become a world. A world where precious time flies by as we tumble endlessly through the vices of systematic living; a world where comfort and frivolous possessions rank higher than personal growth and experiences; a world where magazines and newspapers open and our minds close.

I know this because I’ve seen it, and I see it more vividly now than ever. After seventeen months of travelling around the world, seeing other-worldly sights, meeting hundreds of new people, sharing ideas, thoughts, language and adventures, I return home from this small lifetime to find that very little has changed. People have new shoes, but the same routine; people have new televisions, but the same knowledge; people have new cars, but the same scripted conversations. And with the pain and bitterness that comes with being back to square one, I have to look in the mirror and ask myself: is this lifestyle really our final destination? Is this static, comfortable bubble really where you and I want to dwell till the end of our days?

Even after only just a few of years of living a culture of experience rather than one of security and possession, I personally already know my answer to this is forever a resounding no. Life is not some story we tell ourselves; it is neither a tale of the past or a preconception of the future – it is the very thing that is happening to us right here – right now. Even as you’re reading this sentence. Now is forever; and if we are to sink into a bubble, stay still and never plot to move forward in any way – nor experience other things, peoples, places and ideas – then we are being short-sighted and condemning ourselves to not taking full advantage of the miracle of life and consciousness that we have all been gifted. And we’re bigger than that; in a time and age where we are more connected and capable than ever before – you and I are bigger than that bubble. Bigger than our sofa realities; bigger than those tabloid newspapers; bigger than closing our curtains and selves off from the outside world.

Our time is now and our time is precious. It truly is – like a drop in an ocean or a grain of sand in the desert, our brief time period of existence is ultimately nothing against the vast canvass of time in the universe. And this universe will not wait. Life is not a rehearsal; it is not some show on television – it will come to an end and there will be no replay button. Time shall pass; youth shall escape us; our bodies shall age; our lives will come to an end – and we will all die – that is undeniable and for sure. But when the time comes, our sun sets and our miraculous time on this earth comes to an end, the only thing of any importance to me and you will be just how much we ever really lived in the first place.”

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(taken from my book ‘The Thoughts From The Wild’ available here)

thoughts

~ Incomplete ~

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~ Incomplete ~

“She walked barefoot through the fields of my heart, untouchable like a ghost, her skin shining in the sun like the blazing light of the cosmos in all its glory. And now the thoughts of what could have been haunt those same fields as I sit alone in the night, hearing those voices of happiness echo in the wind before I return to that silence I know all too well. Some of us are just never meant to feel that union of love; to feel confirmed or completed by another soul. We have that empty space in the heart where we sit still in solitude and stare into skies above, waiting to be liberated from our pain, waiting to be saved from our own madness – waiting for someone or something to come deliver us to a home we know deep inside we will never touch nor feel.”

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thoughts

~ The Wanderers ~

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~ The Wanderers ~

“Everything in this culture is designed around ushering us all toward the life of schedule and routine. First comes school, then comes career, then marriage, then kids, home-ownership, and – eventually – retirement. Make no mistake about it, the system is set up meticulously to usher everyone into this one formulaic mould. But what if your fingers fidget for something else? What if your heart longs for freedom? What if – for some reason you struggle to articulate to friends and family – you find that every ounce of your body rejects this conventional way of life? If this is the case and you find yourself out of odds with absolutely everything, then don’t worry – you are not alone and you are not crazy. Maybe the coworkers and relatives will never understand, but we sure as hell do. So keep a look out for us, and we’ll look out for you too.

Wherever you go, whatever you do: look out for the ones looking wistfully into the skies, for the ones embracing the touch of the rain, for the ones delighting in the sound of silence and dancing out of place. We are out there and we are the wanderers; we are the misfits and outcasts – the adventurers and dreamers. You will not find us in immaculately groomed houses, or in trendy shopping malls, or expensive bars and restaurants. In fact, you will not find us in one place for too long at all actually. No, we are the ones you find beyond the borders, the ones you find away from the crowds – the ones you find on the sunset beaches and mountain paths and peaceful forests. Our nature is awkward and unpredictable; our spirit is rough and uncombed. We are slightly deranged and a mystery to ourselves, but we are sure of some things. We are sure that we do not seek status and security, but freedom and adventure. We are sure that we don’t live life to others’ expectations, but to the flow of our hearts and passions. We are sure that we do not wish to possess, but to cultivate and appreciate. Such a state of being means we usually walk alone, but if you keep an eye out you will be sure to see us occasionally. From the mountain peaks, to the concrete jungles: we are out there roaming; we are out there exploring. And we’re destined never to belong to one place. Because we are haunted by the horizons; we are bewitched by the stars. We are rugged and restless – wild and reckless – lost and found.

We are the wanderers.”

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thoughts

~ A Kingdom Untouched ~

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~ A Kingdom Untouched ~

“There is a flag which flies in my heart. It flutters in winds of hate and dances in storms of pain. It stays raised proudly at full mast in the darkest of all nights. There is a flag which flies in my heart. It will never be replaced by another. No tyrant will ever take it down; nor storm wear it away. Forever it will flutter free in that breeze, overlooking the lands of the wild. There is a flag which flies in my heart. It is the flag of joy, the flag of courage, the flag of adventure – the flag of a kingdom which will never be conquered in this life, or the next.”

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thoughts

~ An Inner Strength ~

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~ An Inner Strength ~

“I am not the most stable person. I have few practical or pragmatic skills. I often lose or break anything that I have to take care of. I am also not good with organisation or common sense. In this mechanical world, I struggle greatly to fit into anything. Life can be hard, but I have some things that help me survive. I don’t know how to ‘play the game’, but I do know how to pour every last drop of my soul into what I care about. I don’t know how to fit in well with the crowd, but I know how to stand up for myself and stay strong in my own company. My mind is stained with madness and I don’t expect to be understood in this life or the next, but I have learnt how to be fine with that too. As long as this madness still shines, then I know that I’ll survive. As long as this fire inside still burns my gut, then I know I’ll walk through life with a private joy which will never be extinguished.”

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thoughts

~ A Separate Space ~

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~ A Separate Space ~

“You may look for me in the everyday places but you will not find me there. The offices. The streets. The suburbs. The supermarkets. Yes, it’s true that I may sometimes be there in body, but please know that my soul and spirit are somewhere far away over the hills. If you are looking for the real me then come find me out in foreign fields of discovery, chasing my bliss and staring into sunset skies with a mind on fire. Find me lost in the woods of madness, tumbling down rabbit-holes and talking to the fairies. Find me out on the plains of the wild, running toward the horizon with wide eyes and an open heart. I am sorry but I just don’t know how to stay grounded in those concrete realities; I don’t know how to keep my mind locked in world of sensibility and stability. To me they are barren and desolate lands which only suffocate and starve my soul. So if you’re looking for the real me then come out beyond the fence and find me. There I’ll be on the other side of sanity, playing in the grass of eternity, swimming amongst the stars of infinity – happily lost in my own wonderland until the end of my days.”

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thoughts

~ The Fight ~

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~ The Fight ~

“If anything is worth fighting for, then it is the contents of your heart. In this world there are so many people out there who want to steal the treasure from within your chest. They want to see you deprived of your magic. They want you to be another empty soul beaten down into silent submission, totally afraid to show their true self to the world. But such an existence is a prison and you did not come here to suffer such a terrible fate. So whenever those poachers encircle you, rise up and fight them off at all costs. Grit your teeth. Let slip the roar of freedom. Be bold. Be fierce. Be fearless. Fight to the death to protect that magic inside of you. If you can migrate across the plains of life with that still intact, then you will know that you made it. If you can die with a heart still full of gold, then you will know that you lived a life of unbreakable beauty and courage.”

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short stories

~ A Moment Of Clarity ~

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~ A Moment Of Clarity ~

“The door shut and the noise from the outside world faded away. I was in the viper’s nest. Across the table sat a still man, his suit and soul buttoned up to the neck. In his hands he held a pen and a piece of paper that were going to permit whether I was acceptable enough to hand over my hours and become another one of his faithful employees. I was in the situation I loathed most of all: a situation where men became machines, where wild souls were tamed, where narcissists and sociopaths flourished as they spat out a market-approved script of lies and exaggerations.

The interview began and the questions flowed away as formulaic as anticipated. “So what specifically about this role interests you?” he asked first. “What skills from your previous jobs can you apply to this role?” he asked second. “Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?” he asked third.

As I gave a fake smile and chirped out generic answers, I felt the knives cut away at my heart. Here I was: lying and hiding my true self just to ‘play the game’ and obtain a job I didn’t even want. I knew I wouldn’t be staying at the job long term; I knew I didn’t believe anything I was telling this man. And yet I did it anyway. This was the way it was: two wild creatures of the universe trapped in boxes, playing the game in all its ugliness and falsity. Our ties tightened like nooses on necks; our souls suffocated within these suits of society. For some reason I was destined never to figure out, this is how it was.

The interview screeched along and after the final handshake done, I walked out and relaxed the muscles in my cheeks. I made it out the building and onto the busy street. As I stood there back in civilisation, an overwhelming sadness filled my body. It surged up from within and filled my bones, my flesh, my fingertips, my shoes – my pockets. The very core of my being told me everything was wrong about what had just happened. I could hear the voices of my peers and parents and teachers in my head: “that’s life” they would say. “It’s called growing up” they would say. But this was a feeling so strong – so conflicting – that I just couldn’t ignore it any longer. How could lying and denying who you really were be the logical path? How could starving my soul in a job I had no interest in be the thing that was encouraged?

No, I couldn’t ignore that profound sadness and from that moment on I made a promise to myself. I made a promise never to pander to the corporate world again. I didn’t care what anyone else thought of me, or what low-paying jobs I had to work. In those moments in that interview I felt the power of the entire universe tell me to turn my back on that phony world. Working casual jobs and finding other ways to make money for my adventures would have to be the way I went forward for now. There was nothing noble about silencing your inner voice to work a socially-accepted job. There was nothing sane about lying and being false just to bluff your way into a job you didn’t want anyway. In a moment of clarity, I loosened my tie from my neck and walked off freely into the city crowd.

Two years and many adventures later, my bank account is often a sorry sight, my social status is at an all-time low, and I have still never worn a suit or had a full-time job. But the things I have seen, felt, tasted and explored I would not trade for all the gold and riches in the world. I may not have a large portfolio and polished resume, but I have seen the sun rise over the Himalayas, I have camped alone in the perpetual daylight of Iceland, I have watched volcanoes erupt – wrote poetry under the stars – shared beautiful moments with people all over the world. I have delved into the depths of my mind and awakened a way of being that I simply never felt was possible to feel. Yes, I may be an outcast and outsider to many, but on the trail of my own path oh how my spirit soars. As I stay true to who I am, as I continue following my inner voice – as this pen scribbles away and my eyes blaze and burn with the wildfires of life – oh how my spirit soars.”

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(also featured on Elephant Journal here, and available from my book ‘The Thoughts From The Wild’ available here)