World Beyond Twitter and Facebook

There is one thing to be said for modern travel: it is quick. There is no mystery or allure as once there was or seemed to be in the past. It is all about moving as many people as possible at the best price for the company in charge of the movement of humanoids.

For us sheep, this may provide a break in price, however, it makes traveling more than an inconvenience. It is officially a headache. Traveling through Europe is no easy task for the uninitiated and can be an expensive endeavor. You have to be willing to sacrifice any number of conveniences or money in pursuit of movement.

From London to Paris, if you are willing to ride on a bus for nine hours the monetary price is quite reasonable. On the other hand, if time and comfort reign supreme, taking a high speed train is the way to go and beats flying, but it comes at a financial price. It brings with it a relaxing environment, food and beautiful scenery.

Traveling is exhausting. We are on the move at least 8 hours a day. Searching for the next new monument or alleyway or toilet.  You are looking to find the history that was told to you in books or other reading.  It is fun to think about all that took place so long ago until you are confronted with the pain and hardship that most toiled.

When you are standing in a place such as the Louvre, and you realize that this palace was too small for King Louis the XIV. You can feel the power and hubris of the ruling class. You can feel the oppression of the people and yet it is so distant.

You are confronted with how small we are in relationship to the universe. Look at what is happening around the world today and you can see and feel the pettiness that drives humans and politics and how the immediate is so important, which of course it is not. I don’t think that this feeling has changed over the course of humanities life span.

I sit here now typing away staring into the Scottish woods of Cairngorms and I am taken aback by the futility of life.  Of working for the weekends or in this case the three week holiday that we are on. I think of my need to have the internet so that I can instantly connect to the people back home. There is no longer a need for the family slide show. You can throw your adventures up on the internet and share it daily.

The world has not gotten smaller.  With all our technology it may seem so, but it has not.  The world has gotten larger, which seems counterintuitive because today it is about making connections to other people. Walking through the streets of Paris or London or Aveimore it is the people that make the difference. We have met some of the nicest people as we have gone about.

It is funny to think that the plant and animal life is so similar between northern Scotland and western Washington.  They in no way have the mountains that we have, but the wild and desolate nature of the landscape is amazing similar. We are staying just outside the largest wilderness area in all of Europe and we made it to one of Scotland’s ski resorts. Very different in its set-up than in the states.  There were no trees just vast open spaces.

Welcome to the world beyond Facebook and twitter.