A friend and reader who lives in Latin America emailed me with this question yesterday:
Life in XYZ is getting crazy...a little too crazy for my taste. The streets are being flooded with young loud gringos and Europeans enjoying their pub crawls, the partying is endless and drugs abundant, crime will be on the rise sooner or later (For the first time in 6-7 years I got my stuff stolen on the beach as I went for a sunset swim).
I am feeling empty and people-lonely if you know what I mean. I am craving for a more spiritual community, some serious soul nurturing and meeting people with substance - people who think, people with passion and compassion, with positive energy to create awesomeness in their lives while trying to empower others. So I am thinking about relocating for a bit, maybe even permanently and for some reason my heart shouting Asia!
If you could shed ANY light on the subject for me, I would appreciate it immensely.
My response:
Wow what an amazing proclamation! I think a lot of us go through that soul searching - looking for a place where the outside environment will match what’s inside of us.
First off, a reality check – people are basically the same everywhere you go. If you’re looking for a place where people are all spiritual and mature and thoughtful, you won’t find it. Take it from someone who has been moving around and on that same quest for most of his life! You have problems no matter where you go, and good and bad people, and even good and bad within each of us.
That being said, I know living in a small town in Latin America can at different times be a very good or a very bad thing. But any place where people WANT to go (like nice beach towns) will attract backpackers and vacationers who are looking to party.
For instance, you mentioned Southeast Asia. SE Asia is an amazingly beautiful, and comparatively very safe place, but still you have people partying like rockstars everywhere! You have loud, obnoxious Koreans and shit-faced Australians (not picking on those countries, its just a reality, like fat, complaining Americans! Haha.) In fact, the population density in Asia is about 100x what it is in the United States or Latin America (no lie) so get used to MORE people in your space and in your life, not less. Think of that white sand beach with a person standing every 5 square feet, and that’s what Asia is like.
That being said, there are parts and places that do have an amazing spiritual vibe. In places like Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanamar, people are genuinely more mellow and the culture teaches respect and synthesis, not individualism or machismo or material gain. Of course each place is different, and they have other big problems, but there are so many quiet spots to go where the vibe is more chill than just touristy beach and vacation towns, or the hustle and bustle of life in the West.
I really think you are on to something and to trust your soul and your intuition. I’ve personally found that a place won’t make me happy – only I can do that. I’ve tried to run from my problems and sooner or later they catch up with me and I have to deal with them, BUT...
I think you would love SE Asia, and the outsides would closer match the beauty that's inside of you.
I’ll give you as much info and suggestions I can as I travel, and connect you with cool people that may help you with getting work. You’re always welcome to crash with me for free wherever I am when you first arrive until you get on your feet.
One love,
Norm :-)
Life in XYZ is getting crazy...a little too crazy for my taste. The streets are being flooded with young loud gringos and Europeans enjoying their pub crawls, the partying is endless and drugs abundant, crime will be on the rise sooner or later (For the first time in 6-7 years I got my stuff stolen on the beach as I went for a sunset swim).
I am feeling empty and people-lonely if you know what I mean. I am craving for a more spiritual community, some serious soul nurturing and meeting people with substance - people who think, people with passion and compassion, with positive energy to create awesomeness in their lives while trying to empower others. So I am thinking about relocating for a bit, maybe even permanently and for some reason my heart shouting Asia!
If you could shed ANY light on the subject for me, I would appreciate it immensely.
My response:
Wow what an amazing proclamation! I think a lot of us go through that soul searching - looking for a place where the outside environment will match what’s inside of us.
First off, a reality check – people are basically the same everywhere you go. If you’re looking for a place where people are all spiritual and mature and thoughtful, you won’t find it. Take it from someone who has been moving around and on that same quest for most of his life! You have problems no matter where you go, and good and bad people, and even good and bad within each of us.
That being said, I know living in a small town in Latin America can at different times be a very good or a very bad thing. But any place where people WANT to go (like nice beach towns) will attract backpackers and vacationers who are looking to party.
For instance, you mentioned Southeast Asia. SE Asia is an amazingly beautiful, and comparatively very safe place, but still you have people partying like rockstars everywhere! You have loud, obnoxious Koreans and shit-faced Australians (not picking on those countries, its just a reality, like fat, complaining Americans! Haha.) In fact, the population density in Asia is about 100x what it is in the United States or Latin America (no lie) so get used to MORE people in your space and in your life, not less. Think of that white sand beach with a person standing every 5 square feet, and that’s what Asia is like.
That being said, there are parts and places that do have an amazing spiritual vibe. In places like Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanamar, people are genuinely more mellow and the culture teaches respect and synthesis, not individualism or machismo or material gain. Of course each place is different, and they have other big problems, but there are so many quiet spots to go where the vibe is more chill than just touristy beach and vacation towns, or the hustle and bustle of life in the West.
I really think you are on to something and to trust your soul and your intuition. I’ve personally found that a place won’t make me happy – only I can do that. I’ve tried to run from my problems and sooner or later they catch up with me and I have to deal with them, BUT...
I think you would love SE Asia, and the outsides would closer match the beauty that's inside of you.
I’ll give you as much info and suggestions I can as I travel, and connect you with cool people that may help you with getting work. You’re always welcome to crash with me for free wherever I am when you first arrive until you get on your feet.
One love,
Norm :-)
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