All of this what I’ve written below is what I already thought and believed before our trip. But during this time some things in these areas just got much clearer and intensified. Here are some things to be brought out:
The World is a huge place
First and foremost I understood that the world is much bigger then it might seem during our everyday lives. Although people nowadays live quite a busy lifestyle traveling from one place to another during a week or even during a single day, we are still quite often limited to our so to say circle. Getting out of it is quite refreshing, especially if you go to a totally different environment. Of course it’s nothing new, I knew it before but actually living the experience is much different then seeing it through a screen.
The World is a tiny place
Contrary to the first point, from another perspective the world is quite small. And it’s mostly due to the different technologies we have developed lately (lately compared to the history of mankind). Within a reasonable amount of hours you can get from one side of the globe to the other, from a winter wonderland to a tropical forest. And thanks to the internet you are still connected to everyone within a matter of milliseconds, just like being back home. I think that sometimes we really forget to appreciate this opportunity to be able to connect with anyone instantly. Remember that next time when you don’t get an answer through a messenger within a minute 🙂
Culture and religion can vary hugely
Coming from Estonia, the least religious country in the world, it really takes some time to consider religion as a separate topic since in here it’s really not a topic at all. But in many and actually most of the places it is. It’s really interesting to see how the religion affects and forms societies in different parts of the world. And the cultural differences can be quite different also. Some things that are considered as totally normal may seem weird to us and vice versa. That is the case towards animals likewise and to be quite honest we really didn’t like how some people acted towards cats, dogs, monkeys, turtles and many other animals in some areas. I know that these kind of people are to be found everywhere but in some places the situation is truly awful!
We need to do something with all this garbage, especially plastics!
I’m proud to say that everything in Estonia is quite clean. Streets, alleys, forests, seas and so on. Especially after a very noteworthy cleaning project called Teeme Ära. It’s basically a once a year countrywide cleaning event. But the picture in SE Asia and many other parts of the world is quite different. There are just tons and tons of plastic waste and other debris in the ocean, littered on the streets and also everywhere in the nature. I know that in some places they are trying to clean it up but currently it’s being done in a much slower rate compared to how new waste is dumped to the oceans and nature. I really didn’t like how they were packing basically each individual item to a separate plastic bag in grocery stores and whenever possible we declined them. Recycle and reuse! It’s not that difficult once you get it to be a habit!
Chasing material things will bring no happiness
Many people in SE Asia don’t have much. But most of them seem really happy because they have learned how to value and appreciate what they do have and especially people around them. Family, friends, relatives and so on. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that you have to have some material things like a decent place to live, a method of getting around, proper clothes and so on. You don’t have to be a monk living in a monastery. But chasing material things itself won’t bring you happiness. I think that through some of those things you can get a moments of happiness but you mustn’t get into the loop of “wanting”. If you do that then you’ll just want another one or a new one or a bigger one and so on. It might not be bad since it thrives you onwards, makes you make an effort but if you forget to appreciate what you already have it only brings you frustration. So always set your goals for moving forwards but don’t forget to be grateful for what you already have! And share it with other people because in the end it doesn’t matter who has the most things but who has the most loving people around them and many magic moments through which they are connected!
If you really want it, you can get it!
In some sense I believe in the law of attraction, that everything is connected somehow. Because in the deepest level we are all made of the same stuff and energy. And if you truly want something and believe in it you will send out vibrations by which you will get what you want. You just have to be specific, get the ideas to your subconscious mind and have an effort towards them. “Learn from Yesterday, Live for Today, Hope for Tomorrow”
All the best!
Lauri
The World As It Is 