What I'm about to write will, in no way, come close to summarizing what I, along with 24 other travellers, have experienced while we were in India. So I thought instead of trying to unravel my theories about the world and link them all together, I would rather just try to describe the lessons I have learnt about the beautiful phenomena that is life.
The most obvious lesson learnt in India was about people. For me this lesson came in lots of different forms. Home is an important place for me, not just the comfort of home, but also the people at home; my family. Being absent from friends and family taught me my first ‘lesson’ about people - the effect they can have on you. For me, the absence of my nearest and dearest made me realize how much these people affected my life. However, in the absence of one family, we created a new family. These ‘new’ people also have a very big effect on me. This family helped me through the most intense month of my life. I don’t think my experience would have been at all the same if I journeyed through India alone. Whether it was someone to joke, cry, or talk with, the boys and the staff were there, and on so many different levels. Furthermore, organizations such as Freeset and the Jungle Crows have made a huge impact not only on the people they are helping out, but even on us, through their inspiring work. This has also made me think how the smallest gestures or observations can form your day; a smile from someone walking home can make you feel good, just as the sight of a beggar can make you feel sad.
The next thing I learned about myself is how spiritual I actually am. India is full of different religions and beliefs, and after living though that emotional journey I understand why people believe in something. Before I went to India I was very black and white about everything. After being on such an emotional roller coaster, I have realised that all of these emotions and relationships and people have to mean something! It can’t just be a chemical reaction inside your brain that makes someone happy, or makes someone cry. For me there has to be something more than that. I guess my spirituality is the relationships I have with my friends and family. There is something special about these people. When I’m with them I feel something more! More of what? I can’t tell you. There aren’t the words to describe the emotions I feel. These emotions though are the essence of life. This is what I believe.
I also understand that the simple things in life make you that much happier. The kindness of a random person just lifts your day that much. And if this happens again and again, then it all adds up. It’s not just these types of situations, but also being away from home and the luxuries we take for granted, such as fresh tap water, or a sunset at your local beach, that have resulted in my heightened awareness now.
Money can’t buy you happiness. As cliché as it sounds I couldn't agree more with this statement. I no longer look at money with the materialistic value I had before the trip. Of course, this view would definitely change if I wasn’t raised in such a privileged family. I now look at money as a way to travel or keep windows of opportunity open. This is because traveling in my opinion is one of the most important things in life. Many people have aspirations to be as rich as possible, however the thing a lot of people undervalue is happiness. It is important to work out your own formula to being happy and this formula will not be easy to figure out. But it is very important that we all are trying to find our own formula, instead of accepting sadness, which is a very easy thing to do in our world where so much wrong is being done to people every day.
The last thing I want to mention is the meaning of life. While in India I continually begged the question: what does it all mean? I don't have the answer to this; I don't think anyone does. I have theories about why people live their life the way they do and these theories will change with further experiences. I do however think the meaning of life is different for everyone. This
is because people have different experiences to create values from, and they then lead their life based on those experiences. For example, after India I now value the importance of travel, happiness and people. That’s why I want to travel in my life, but somehow also stay close to my friends and family, because that’s what matters to me in life.
Life is a fragile but very beautiful thing; I hope you live yours however you want to, and that you don’t waste it because you only have one chance. In saying that though, my thoughts on this may not be right, but like a wise man once said, “The important thing is not necessarily having the answers, but rather asking the questions.”
I am very sorry if you could not relate to all of this; I don't expect you to as you haven't experienced the same thing as me. But the final thing I want to say is that I wish all my friends and family go to India at least once in their lifetime. Even though their experience will be different to mine, I’m positive it will be just as full and just as special. Why India? Because in India I started to find my formula for happiness.
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