When I was young, it was still possible to safely “hitchhike” anywhere. It was encouraged among your peers as a respectable form of travel. You could be devoid of a means of transportation, such as a personal car, and yet still be “cool and attractive.” Traveling with female companionship was an added plus, greatly easing the waiting process. The most important feature was your physical stance and the strength and tenacity of your outstretched thumb. A limp and unimaginative thumb, held in a weak and indeterminate manner, slowed the entire conveyance process or “pickup.” If, however, you stood like Vespasian (1) approving or disproving the performance of a fallen gladiator, your wait time significantly decreased.
In my high school years in my tiny village, I often opted for this method of travel, developing some of the aforementioned techniques. Despite this, I was a neophyte at long-distance (and I mean long-distance) travel. For an extended period of time, I studied in Paris and experienced the perennial problem of student life: lack of money. My parents were kind and generous, but somehow my immature exuberance quickly digested my monthly stipend. A non-European student, in the 1970s, could only legally work in Sweden. So, when the school term ended, three friends and I proceeded to “the land of the midnight sun.” My stay in this Nordic country was uneventful. I was, however, able to save enough money to return to Paris and, if I so chose, purchase a ticket from Amsterdam to New York. What would remain would be a US $100 (NT $3,100) for the trip to Vancouver Island.
After much deliberation, I opted for a return to Canada to continue the search for my fortune: this was my Klondike moment. (2) I landed in New York and purchased a train ticket to Montreal: $50 left. I arrived in Central Station in this elegant French Canadian city somewhat in a state of confusion and disquietude: now what? I took the metro to its last stop. Perception is wonderful when cloaked in ignorance. “How far is it to Vancouver?’ I asked a weary coffee shop patron, the scene being right out of Nighthawks by Edward Hopper. (3) “Only a day or so by car,” was the laconic reply.Truly nothing, I thought to myself. Sadly, the trip from Montreal to Vancouver is actually closer to 4,000 kilometers.
It was nearing dusk when I began my trek. I walked up an on-ramp with signs everywhere proclaiming Interdict de Faire de Stop: No Hitch Hiking. A car stealthily pulled to the side of the road, and I rushed to get in. Quebecois drivers would make even Taiwanese drivers afraid. As I was running to the stationary car, two cars quickly drove up the ramp, the first one braking too suddenly, causing the second to crash into the back of him: an inauspicious beginning.
The trip took me to Ottawa and then on to Sudbury. In the wee hours of the morning, a kind “angel” took me back to her house, where I stayed the night. The weather had begun to turn cold, and I was ill-equipped for the ensuing winter. During the next several days the voyage proceeded through a litany of drivers: some kind, some evil, some lascivious, some drunk, and some stoned. My most memorable being two women who had stolen their car: we were subsequently stopped by the police, and I was unceremoniously dumped in the middle of nowhere. The second was a man who offered to give me his car so that I could proceed to Vancouver in comfort (his was also stolen).
In all of this, I discovered that the average human being is congenial, considerate and generous, both financially and spiritually. There are no terrorists and ax-murders lurking at every corner. We are a hopeful and positive species filled with love and caring. After six harrowing days, I arrived at my parents’ home, considerably wiser and more self confident; and I still had $25. The family’s new dog bit me, however.
The great philosopher, Dr. Viktor Frankl (1902-1997), leaves us with a thought: Don’t aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side-effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one’s surrender to a person other than oneself. (Parts of this article were first published in May 2009.)
A closing thought: I am an extremely shy man. In spite of this, I realized at an early age that the only way to go forward in life was to challenge your fears. When you act, there are always consequences: some good and some bad. But, whatever the response, you will be able to act. Sadly, the act of inaction is still an action. Its result you know: there is no change in me. If you are addicted to cigarettes, for example, and you continue to smoke, you know the eventual result. If you quit, you do not know what will happen.
To sum up: This week, we spoke about change and the fear of change. The only reason that so many people are wage slaves is because they are not “a little bit brave.” You do not need massive amounts of courage to change your life. You just need to begin. The rest is usually assisted by the magical forces of the universe.
A small joke: The other day at the gym, I glanced over at an adjacent machine and noticed a truly beautiful girl. I was stunned by her figure until I noticed that she was wearing a T-shirt that announced, “I am so stupid.”
Just for fun:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cokCgWPRZPg&ab_channel=WarnerClassics
For reflection:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlzsxjCDpKM&ab_channel=neuralsurfer
This week, please think about your willingness to take a chance on you.
Every day look for something magical and beautiful.
Don’t be a wage slave –critical thinking is great!
Quote: Psychological cowardice only results in a long-term lack of personal fulfillment.
Footnotes:
1) Vespasian(9-79 AD) was a Roman Emperor, he was the founder of the successful Flavian dynasty,
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klondike_Gold_Rush
Nighthawks (1942)
One of the best-known of Edward Hopper’s paintings: Nighthawks (1942) is one of his paintings of groups of characters or images. It shows customers sitting at the counter of an all-night diner.