CURRENT MISSION

To travel throughout Asia for a year (started April 2014); to take it all in - experience, read, write, and reflect - and be open to any positive direction that this cross-cultural journey leads me towards

ABOUT ME

PHILOSOPHY

1) I believe that everyone should search for their own unique path to find contentment and fulfillment throughout the life journey. However I believe there are some limits to what one should be willing to do to find this personal fulfillment, and I do have a moral compass in my philosophical 'way to live life' perspective - there is such a thing as going 'too far' in life by committing immoral acts through severely harming your fellow humans for ones own personal gain. The world is complex, and we certainly should suspend our judgment of others. However I do and will continue to negatively judge (and fight against) that small minority of people in this world who systematically harm, take advantage of and manipulate others who are kinder, vulnerable, less intelligent, and/or less fortunate than them solely for their own ego and selfish pleasures/pursuits. Those people need to be continually watched for and held in check by the masses of fairly decent people on this planet.
Our political, economic, and societal structure/institutions must be set up in a way that limits to the greatest extent possible the ability of hyper-manipulative and inhumane individuals to ever gain too much control and power. Extreme concentrated power by any individual or group of people is a dangerous and precarious condition on any societal level and one that does not respect the rights of the individual human life.

2) The feeling of 'love' - both short-term and sustained - can take on many forms, but essentially is always rooted in the most deeply beautiful positive connection one can feel with and for another human being - I’ve yet to encounter anything more fulfilling than this. It is the fabric which ties together everything and anything worth living for.

3) "Sometimes you eat the bar and sometimes the bar eats you..."

Interests

I absolutely loved my Peace Corps experience in Guatemala. I would have to say it was the most exciting, enriching and rewarding two-year period of my life. Understanding my appreciation for this experience goes a long way in understanding where my interests lie.

I like to partake in diverse life experiences across many countries, cultures and settings, and then reflect (often through writing) on those experiences - reflect on all the thoughts and emotions I had, even if on the surface those thoughts/sensations/emotions appear to not be related to that specific experience.

I enjoy thinking and reading about global political and cultural issues, as well as the history of the human race and our long-term direction (what has occurred looking thousands of years into the past and what will occur thousands of years into the future)...and how this all relates to more abstract philosophical mental adventuring on the nature of consciousness, the uniqueness of the human being, and all else that is, ever was, or ever will be. Early human migrations, and the incredible beauty of the physical diversity of the human species that this led to, has been of particular interest to me lately.

I enjoy playing guitar and singing here and there...whenever the inspiration arises. I'm more on the amateur/intermediate end of the skill spectrum, but I did bring my guitar with me on this one-year Asia journey.

I also enjoy being a sarcastic goofball fool at the appropriate times.

• writing
• singing
• beauty
• reading
• traveling
• guitar
• skydiving
• history

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Skydiving over the ocean in eastern Australia

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Fiji, France, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Monaco, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Venezuela, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Brazil, Guatemala, United States