mirovoi1

[mirovoi1]

To my 600+ followers here, follow at @WorldWhiteSocks on Twitter to see more regular updates of exploring the world in white socks (with no shoes). Sorry I have not really posted much here.(Photos from Istanbul, Turkey) 👍

[mirovoi1]

REFLECTIONS OF A JAILBIRD

It can be quite hard to force myself to concentrate on writing when myriad distractions abound: I have the internet, snacks at hand, and a curious mind that prefers wandering than getting stuck into the arduous task of gathering my thoughts and organising them into one structured essay.

What is worse is that there are also myriad birds outside my windows that are eager to show off how free they are - while it is me that is cooped up inside an aviary. And this has been my daily life for months already here, in the middle of Istanbul.

The world has surely been turned upside down.

And my state of being has now too.

Have you ever been to prison without being involved in a crime?

The laws of lockdown have worked; they have successfully restricting my body to the house, but it has also set loose thoughts and emotion; and the things that stir inside an idle being.

In fact, I am usually the opposite: a busy body with a braindead head – not a rioting soul in a dead body.

Thus, has been a rare chance to engage in some very unique, albeit testing, self-reflection and what I have observed is that my own mind is actually hell-bent on getting away from me.

Out of due respect for public health, I have not really been anywhere for a full three months. And during this home-sentence, I have been battling with another prison: a mental prison consisting of high walls that forbid me from doing any proper constructive written work.

The summer warmth has arrived in Istanbul; finally replacing the long, wet winter - the heat and sunlight have come and replenished the empty hole that is known as ‘lockdown’. This is a very good change in events. Weather does alter one’s mood.

The uplifting summer-scented air has called me to begin writing down a few notes to share with you all. Although, however lovely days of sunshine and birdsong may be, it seems my newly-found prison-life has offered some useful (and dire) insight into how many lives are lived.

*

Morning after morning after morning, I wake up in the same fashion, with the sound of pigeons outside my bedroom window. They sit there and mumble the same stuff at each other. I get up for a coffee. The sparrows chirp like mad in the big leafy trees from morning till dusk and I am always here to hear it. Now that all forms of unnatural noise have subsided over the past weeks, the world has revealed that there are even chickens living on the banks of in front of the apartments opposite me.

Who would think chickens exist in a city of fifteen million people? Well, I believe it. It is hard not to believe it when their bleating is sometimes all that is left over now that cars and engines sounds have left the room. Right now, it is a bird’s world and I feel as if I am the only living creature that sits around stagnating all day.

Those birds are busy with their lives and I am the one who is sat in the bird cage waiting for some sort of seeds to appear in my bowl.

*

During my lifetime, I have always wondered how come old people so often tend to be miserable.

I was confused as to why oldies were always angry when kids’ balls come over their fence. I thought that old people should know that life goes along better when the world is a tolerant and friendly place - after all, judging by their bent posture and wrinkly skin, it could be safe to say that they have been around for a bit and should be aware of the tricks of the trade.

The world over, I have been yelled at by grumpy old people – usually for noise or some other form of unruliness. But my anticipation for some eventual grey-haired wisdom to save the day always fell through as they most often would revert back to their own form of unruliness – that being their decrepit emotional composure in the face of something minor.

I always liked to imagine that someday, I will become the seemingly only old man in the world who is patient, kind and unconcerned with little things that are of no apparent bother. I thought I would be the kindest granddad who would come out of his house, and instead of shouting with a stick in hand, he would come with a packet of chocolate biscuits and tell the kids just how great they are doing with their soccer skills.

But now I get it.

A silent, idle life, void of real things to do and people to talk to just makes people become dank. Now I understand. A rattle in the refrigerator has the power to really piss people off. I never knew of that rattle when my life extended beyond these four walls.

In a tiny little world, tiny little things just appear so big.

Now I realise, I too, in the future, am capable of becoming an angry old man.

*

In Istanbul you often have company from giant seagulls which are a key part of the infrastructure of this giant port city. Istanbulites love to feed animals, and these massive birds easily get their beaks into heavy pieces of stale bread. They do not want to share their findings with others and so they fly onto the rooftops and drop it, hack at it and throw it around in order to break it into smaller, edible size pieces.

I live on the top-floor and often have to deal with them stomping around on my roof. I have a rooftop sky-window that I can open up and be part of the goings on up there, but they are too busy to care. They are very happy. I am not though, and I give them the evil stare from under the window pane. And, again, they are too busy being happy to care.

*

May is the month of Ramadan and at times some very rhythmic Anatolian music seeps out from behind some bushes somewhere near where those chickens live. There is also drumming at 2am each night. Sometimes I hang myself out the fifth-floor window to try to get a piece of the vibe. I always found the concept of music to be extremely fascinating. Music is such a human thing.

I admit I have felt a bit self-conscious before dancing in front of other people, but I have to say that I feel downright embarrassed doing so in front of animals. So, I don’t. I am sure animals understand the pleasure in moving around and having fun, but the style we do it in… well, I don’t know about that. We must look absolutely ridiculous. But it is Ramadan, and it is a time for celebration.

There is a family of crows that lives in a branch – rent-free – just opposite my biggest windows in the lounge area. I enviously watch them coming and going, and taking turns at sitting on their babies. They screech and caw, as I do when I think I am singing.

As I hum along to these sudden outbreaks of traditional folk tunes, I wonder why we humans feel the need to offer a bit of our own noise to an otherwise good-enough piece of music. We also like to move our bodies along with to the beat, as if that was called for. If you can get past your own two feet, that is, then this timely shuffling is generally known as ‘dancing’.

So, it seems that adding some singing, some lyrics, and well, ultimately some sort of mouth and body movement to the music, it just makes it all come alive.

*

We humans make order of our thoughts through speech. We navigate our world through the use of the mouth; through words; through language, through lyrics, through conversation, through stories, constantly feeling the need to incessantly release some form of mouth-made noise with/to/towards/at other people: we engage in civil, amicable chitter-chatter; we emit our oral vibrations out of rage at poor kids who have lost their ball over the fence, we thrust our noises into the music as we groove along in tow…

…and somehow this makes us feel better about the world.

I can honestly say I am utterly embarrassed to be a human. But, the innate, instinctive need for talk and movement dictates our psyche. The necessity for social interaction with other people and physical interaction with our environment is indisputable. This is the source of a large part of our health. And without it, well…

We humans are a group mammal after all – perhaps more so than the feathered ‘free-folk’ outside that even feel free enough to crap all over my windowsills. But it is obvious: being around people and engaging in meaningful conversation regulates our mood and emotions so that we can avoid entering the otherwise guaranteed free-fall to hell…

…where a lot of us are right now.

All of this has now become starkly clear as I sit in here doing the opposite of what a healthy person does. All the animals accentuate the fact that they can get more done in life now that us human-beings have ceased to be part of the furniture; and we are not around anymore to bother them. Unless I decide to dance behind the glass or something - and that could bother a soul or two.

I mean, if you have to be a human being, then you also have to know how to meet a human being’s needs. That is not to say I dance, but it does mean one needs to be able to think well, speak properly, and move more.

This may seem obvious and straightforward, but I can assure you… it is not.

Just as one may think six months at home would be heaven, and when it comes around you realise it is actually a nightmare. Human beings may sit around in their homes dressed in clothes with their fancy gadgets, but can assure you, we do not always really understand what it is that we need. Nor do we properly see things for what they are…

A lot of us have never learnt to think, nor learnt to move, nor learnt to speak. Properly, that is.

*

Over the years, I have had a number of students who could fall under the category of ‘depressed’; or ‘hell-bound’ would be a better way to put it.

There is a thing called clinical depression, but this dispiritedness is often just simply an environmental, psychological, physiological or sociological inadequacy or imbalance. Sort of like a form of vitamin deficiency that comes good again with the right adjustments.

That is basically to say… yes, as it seems, a lot of melancholy folk typically seem to lead a full-time lifestyle of lockdown.

Try that! What a bloody existence…

I have observed many teenagers of mine who regularly take part in physical activity in their daily lives, be it sports or dance, are generally much more mentally and emotionally healthy – not to mention physically so. They tend to hold onto less negative energy and have a lighter, bouncier kick in their way of being.

Those that have good social, conversational and inter-personal skills tend to have these similar healthy characteristics. In short, those that are well-equipped to meet their simple human needs fare well in the world.

But this species of well-equipped kid is actually depressingly rare. A huge number of adults do not qualify either. That has frustrated me for a long time.

*

Normally at this time of year, I would be busy preparing for the summer holidays for when my students and I hit the long road with our backpacks on.

This year, that is not going to happen though, which is a pity because we were planning for some very exotic locations (Cuba, Madagascar…). And it is also a pity for some of my students that are, and/or have always been full-time-lockdown-lifestylists who would greatly benefit again from a couple of weeks-long de-shackling from the mundane.

However, this virus has offered me a very unique opportunity:

With the ditching of my passport and car-keys and the forgoing of my usual travel-lifestyle, I now get the chance to exist on this great planet in another fascinating way…

By being in prison, experiencing the psychological state of depressed prisoners, getting to know and understand the inner-world of many of my students, rehearsing for when I am old, and getting to write about it all.

More unfortunate is getting to brush up on my knowledge about myriad aspects of birdlife and how damning similar it is to ours. Even more unfortunate than that is the succumbing to the fact that I am capable of using words like ‘myriad’ myriad times in a six and a half page-long essay…

13 May 2020

(Period of lockdown from Covid-19)

(Some Photos from Around My Place in Istanbul)

[mirovoi1]

Waste of sock😂😂😂

And what else would you need them for? Face masks? :D 

[mirovoi1]

I know you have a Flickr, but do you have an Instagram? Your photos are stunning.

Haha. No, I don’t have Instagram. Just this and Flickr. Glad you like the pics and thanks :)

[mirovoi1]

Hey Mirovoi, I like your pictures a lot, looks really comfortable being in socks. So you don't even take shoes with you on your trips? Best, Frank

Hey, thanks! It is comfortable (physically! Mentally, it’s a challenge sometimes in public, but worth it though). I have shoes with me on the trips, a pair of sports shoes and flip-flops, but they sometimes stay in the room, or in the car, on day trips and things like that. :D

[mirovoi1]

Hey Mirovoi, do you have any plans to travel in germany this year?

It seems quite hard to go anywhere at the moment... :D :D

[mirovoi1]

Colours and Textures of Mysore

A snippet of the colours, textures and mood in the markets of Mysore, Karnataka, India.

“Finding the calm in the noise, feeling the nature in the mess; searching for yourself in a foreign culture, finding it in a contradiction... A hundred colours, a thousand textures, a million fragrant smells; this is India - the world’s biggest explosion of harmony.”

[mirovoi1]

Five Days with No Shoes – An Experiment in Restructuring the Subconscious View the World

I Am Getting My Socks Dirty!

For the past few days here in Bangkok, Thailand, I have been continuing my experiment of going about daily life with no shoes on – in fact, just in white socks. During the first couple of days, I kept it slightly more low-key, a bit of testing the waters, like a timid cat checking out its environment, just wandering around the area where I am staying, to get food, something to drink, or buy something at 7Eleven. The area is known as Khaosan Road, a backpacker’s haven, where there are a couple of streets loaded with everything the weary or tempted tourist might want. There are bars, cafés, parks, temples, and plenty of people and street-side action to get involved with at almost any time of the day and night. To anyone who knows, this travelers’ hub tends to attract and keep a number of the more ‘unique’ travelers that easily intermingle amongst the more common-looking tourists, and it is rather common to see the more endearing styles of fashion – tattoos, piercings, hairstyles, and the occasional bare-footer. Although the ones sporting bare feet often tend to be hippies, drunk people, or locals that, by the looks of them, tend to be poorer or less of the sane type. I am in none of those categories, I hope. I’m just one of the normal people on the street, but just happens to be in his white socks.

Why Do Such A Thing?

I’m doing this experiment for a number of reasons. A colleague and I are putting together a roughly twenty-minute video of the experiment with a short and simple discussion related to our work in the fields of education, psychology and therapy. This talk is mainly focused towards Chinese people (it is in Chinese) on the topic of pushing your psychological boundaries and acceptance of being different from the crowd. Understanding the psychology of a person cannot be done solely by observation or on paper, so getting to the core of many of the psychological and habitual issues needs to experienced first-hand. Many of our students (both teenage and particularly adults, including student’s parents) tend to often struggle with the acceptance of being different from the crowd and suffer from excuses that avoid the root of their difficulties. To us, as teachers, this psychological state needs to be pushed at and prodded at for the sake of expanding our understanding of their experience. So, I jumped right into this experiment, and as a result, I have gotten more out of it than I ever expected. My internal world has expanded. A few of the ideas, observations and thoughts from the process will be shared in this essay. Who would know that my pairs of white socks would open up a new world to me?

1. Why Does Our Sense of Self Have to Be So Strong?

Fear, nervousness and excitement tend to be confused by the brain as they all stimulate the same biological reactions, such as speeding up the heart rate. It is possible for the brain to confuse what it is actually experiencing. When an emotion of, perhaps, nervousness (activated by the brain telling you that you are different from the others) fear kicks in and the brain looks for things it perceives as ‘threats’. In my case, while being in socks in public, these ‘threats’ tended more likely to be people who might easily notice me; like people walking towards me or people sitting idly by that could possibly make some noticeable sort of remark. It would be these types of perceived ‘threats’ that I would find myself naturally trying to avoid eye contact with or maybe even subconsciously try to change my walking path to avoid ‘confrontation’. People that tended to be busy with their own affairs gave me no concerns at all. There also tended to be differences in perception between people you tend to associate more closely with; whether you know them or not, or would you ever see them again (i.e., the guesthouse staff that see you coming in and out each day without shoes on) - this tended to give me a stronger reaction. Similarly, stronger reactions were evoked from people I either genetically or culturally identified more with – i.e., different genders, ethnicities and age groups. These psychological reactions tended to be based on solely what people could possibly think of me and the strength of the reaction depended on these factors. It is not that I really minded, because walking in socks is far from the end of the world, but I was observing my brain tending to be more active when it was trying to figure out my best life strategies in unfamiliar situations. Questions such as who would I most likely get approval from, who would mostly would stare or give me a negative reaction, who would I bring embarrassment to… these questions fill the brain as it is terrified of being ostracized by the group. Walking the streets in white socks could possibly be enough to make you a laughing stock. That’s a terrifying feeling for a person, no matter what form it comes in. So that is something that needed to be understood, looked at and conquered. I mean, it is my brain’s job to keep me safe and alive (and being part of the group is vital for survival), but it’s my job to keep my brain in check!

During the next couple of days, I started venturing a bit further away from Khaosan Road as I began to feel less and less self-conscious. I then found myself at a Thammasat University having lunch by the river side. My socks tended to still be bright white on the tops, but had black footprints on the bottoms. Sometimes I started thinking that the dirtier they were the more natural it looked. I don’t know what to make of that – maybe it was more acceptance of the state of them. I enjoyed my time there. I walked back with an ice-coffee I bought from a street stall and sat in the park for a couple of hours pondering over the situation. My colleague and I had filmed a part of it to put into the video. The real importance comes down to not just the action of walking shoeless, but the following mental reflection over the what happened during the experience to make sure the brain understands what it is actually seeing and doing as it experiences and reacts to all this new stuff. This is all the brain’s doings, none of it is orchestrated by me. This goes for any situation in life really, but this process is often overlooked, as we move on to the next task ahead. Instead, I walked along the hot sticky street to a park further along the riverside where I laid down in a shady patch of grass under a massive twisted tropical tree and let everything sink in. The brain is automatically doing a lot of stuff I am not even aware of nor wanting to permit it to do, but it is more up to me to to understand that and learn to control what is going on instead. Skills like that should get me higher places than a good pair of sturdy hiking boots could ever. It seems my socks just may hold some magic.

2. Happily Hiding Behind Excuses

Oh, we humans know how to hide. While walking around the streets, into stores, happily soaking up the Bangkok atmosphere, I found myself hiding behind excuses for being shoeless. Despite my body (and bright white socks) being physically exposed for the world to see, but in my mind, I was aiming at quelling the inner dragon of self-consciousness. I thought I had more of a reason, for anyone who may look at me, to be shoeless in the late afternoon than the morning – maybe I had walked a long way and I had blisters, maybe my shoes broke, maybe I was hot? In the morning, by contrast, it just more looked like the guy couldn’t be bothered putting on his shoes. So, I went out in the morning too, not just using the heat as an excuse, or hiding behind the darkness of night. Having a small backpack with me was a good way to hide too. Could this guy be suffering from any of the above situations, and obviously his shoes are in his bag, the random passer-by would think. So, when I could, I would try go out empty-handed where possible. The only pity is I quite like to carry a small backpack with my camera for a bit of photography, and a bottle of water in it. I found taking off my glasses was another good way to not be able to see if people were staring or not, making me feel like I was more in my own world – listening to music could have the same effect. So, I kept the glasses on, and music off. I’d go with my coworker who was in bare feet, that felt more easier as there was the distraction of chatter and dialog about the experiment to hide behind. Going out alone would up the ante, put on a bit more stress, so I made sure to do this too. These are the tactics the brain employs to reason with myself as why to be shoeless. I mean what if someone asks where my shoes are, I could stumble and think of lies, but that won’t get anyone to paradise. All this led me to have to accept the most root of the issue. I am just the guy who is out in his socks. No hiding and denying the fundamental truth behind the situation. Dress the way you like, stand up straight, put yourself into a confident physical position, tell yourself ‘you are just the guy who wears his socks’. Be ready to give sincere eye-contact with whoever you encounter, engage in conversation if anyone asks and just walk on forward. That solved half of the issues.

By the third day, after having had more and more physical practice of being out and about in my white socks, plus plenty of mental exploration and conversation regarding many aspects of the experience, things started feeling more natural. My mind was changing towards self-acceptance and encouragement towards such a lifestyle of endeavor, discovery and self-growth. By this time, I found myself hopping into a taxi one evening to go to MBK center shopping mall. I was planning to leave for India the next day, so wanted to buy a couple of bits and pieces. I spent about two hours in the mall; the bottoms of my socks were rather dirty, but the whole time I was possibly even more relaxed than I would have been if I were in shoes. I am not really a fan of malls, but I found that I was more in a peaceful world of my own more so than a noisy mall of shoppers. I came back via tuk-tuk and wandered back to my guesthouse through the busy bar district of Khaosan. It was if it were any normal day.

3. Tackling the Bull in the Cage

It is the only way to address the issue and gain something true from your endeavors. If you carry yourself confidently, who can belittle you? If you accept the truth, who can deny it? The thing is, the world is like a mirror, if you don’t care, the world doesn’t care either. The world reflects back what is in your mind and in your heart. When I was subconsciously unaware of the fact I was in a busy shopping mall in my socks, to me, it seemed that the whole world was unaware of it. When I was stressed or uncomfortable, then it felt like the world was glaring at me. The subconscious mind brought out all sorts of perceived threats. The mind needs to be trained in order to live out the life you want to live. I have to admit, sometimes it felt weird having my coworker take photos of me while in socks in some public space somewhere with people all around, but you just have to tell yourself: “I accept everything that comes with this.” Maybe no one even saw, or maybe someone did see and probably forgot about it within three seconds. If they do remember it would be because they thought it was cool. Others are welcome to do whatever they want with their observations. But, remember, the noise is inside you.

By the fourth day, I had decided that I was too much invested into this project and to run off to India prematurely wouldn’t be the best choice. I wanted to continue a bit, and I wanted to put the video together (although it was my coworker who mainly took control of that part), and I wanted to write this down. Environment is utmost, and while I am still in this environment, I am more likely to order my ideas in a clearer way. I imagine the smell of curries and sounds of horns in the streets of Bangalore will take my mind away to other places. When you’re focused and enjoying something productive you should stride to stay in that state. Change (or disruption) to an environment is unsettling for a person, and I know this well as that is where my general main work’s focus lies – travel-related education, psychology and therapy. I happened to go to MBK once again, of course in my socks, and wandered the streets nearby and came back by public bus. Over the last day or two before leaving for India, I didn’t plan on any such sock-walks, didn’t aim for any such mental or physical stimulation, but instead, just a quiet calm mood to weather away the hot afternoons and get this writing done. But I realized by habit, I still went out in my socks for a morning coffee and 7eleven for bottles of water, and even out for dinner. It had become a new sort of comfort zone. No one likes the feeling of retraction, so maybe just now putting on shoes, feels a little like that. I actually really like who I am when I am out in my socks. I love the mental stimulation and feeling of freedom. Having seen the videos of myself out and about, I tend to think, under the circumstances, I looked rather confident and natural. I liked the way I looked and even more so, how I felt. The self-affirmation of something is almost more crucial than the actual activity itself.

4. Setting Things Straight

The truth is, walking around a city in a pair of white socks isn’t the epitome of difficulty in this world. To some it would be easy, and to others, mortifying. Depends on you, your previous experiences and interests. The thing is, when confronting your fears, or looking to expand you comfort zone, you need to not only delve directly into them, but you may also need to confirm to yourself the existence of even more difficult things to compare them with. You may even need to actively seek out such things. Things are only small when compared with something bigger, as the Earth is big travelling by bus, but tiny when compared with the universe. So, sometimes to aim at something you perceive as ‘big’ or ‘difficult’, then you may need to not only hack slowly towards its direction, but also hack backwards to reduce the perceived size of it. There, that is something a bit more complicated to contemplate. ha!

You may notice a theme here in that nowhere mentioned was any negative situations being mentioned. That is because during the five-day experiment, there were never any such occurrences. There are many nationalities around Khaosan, and never received a difficulty from anyone. I noticed people occasionally looked. I would also emphasize the word ‘looked’, and not ‘stared’. But on the contrary, I need to mention that no matter what you’re wearing or doing people do look. Yes, I noticed people occasionally still looked while I was wearing flip-flops. People have eyes after all, and they need to set their vision on something, so that’s forgivable. Maybe I just have nice (although hairy) legs? Ha-ha. But, maybe it is something more than that. Maybe it is something about the Thai people and the atmosphere they have created to be inclusive, tolerant and open-minded. To expand on this topic, I will need to keep up my white sock-walking activities across other parts of the world in order to work towards the core of such assumptions.

What Can Thai Attitude Offer The World?

However, the Thai people’s attitude towards life is rather healthy. It seems to be that if something does not harm anyone, then it is not really worth worrying about. That is a fair take on life. I noticed on the rare occasion when someone did not know what to make of me being in my socks, then substitute was a smile or laughter. That takes you back to the ‘world being a mirror’ philosophy; if you are self-conscious or flustered under a circumstance a laugh can be perceived as a snigger or an intrusion. When your soul and mind are calm, a laugh could be perceived as a friendly sign of acceptance or interest. It seems the Thais are slower in their reactions and judgements, allowing themselves sufficient time for a reasonable and proper response to ensue. I like the fact they are natural and thoughtful in their responses, something obviously passed down through their Buddhist faith. I would say, as a whole, I got a more neutral to positive reception anywhere I went in my socks. The interesting thing is, that is the same Thai reception I have received anywhere under almost any circumstance - with shoes on or off. But of course, there would be places you wouldn’t want to go in your socks, just as you wouldn’t swim in the sea or go to bed while wearing your shoes. Well, you can do that and why not if that is what you want - who are we to judge? But, it seems here in Thailand, if you are reasonable in your attitude and polite in your behavior, the Thais will treat you with the same respect. Hats off (or shoes off) to the Thais for that. We can all learn a lot from them.

Your Growth Is Your Offering To The World

It is also your own responsibility to work at expanding your comfort zone. There is not a single soul that does not want to become a bigger and better version of themselves. Explore and grow; that what souls do. It is your job to dig out what it needs and how to go about it. Sock-walking is just my own personal way, among others. But I also find it necessary that people take on such things. It is quite funny to know that all along during the beginning of the experiment, my brain was constantly doing all it could to help me avoid being ostracized by other humans. It was working to keep me surviving in optimal fashion. However, on the flipside, being the same as everyone does not necessarily get you anywhere at all. The ‘herd mentality’ is not lauded; it is not held in high regard. In fact, it is the opposite. I would believe that my getting out in my white socks is a rather positive thing in many people’s perceptions. I could see it and feel that at times. Maybe someone else just happened to think a little thought such as, ‘yeah, why not.’ Being a bit different reaffirms in others’ minds that possibilities exist. It is like the idea of recycling or reducing plastic use; you only really get the idea of when you are reminded of it, or see others taking part in it. My experiment probably does far better for the world that one would imagine.

My Unexpected Gains

I actually feel I have been through a type of therapy myself. I feel energetic. I had to make a quick phone call to an elderly neighbor in China, and she mentioned the change in my tone of voice. I was quite astonished when she said I sounded younger. My eyes feel bright. The flame in my soul feels steady. Making the video and seeing myself in it looking confident and actually liking the look of it, made me feel rather positive about myself. I feel mentally light. Maybe it’s because of Thailand itself and the abundance of sunshine. Maybe it is just because of finishing a two-week work project to Nepal with a group of my students. Maybe I am feeling a natural change towards a new segment of growth in my field. Or maybe I am feeling physically light because of having walked without shoes as you begin to tread more lightly and carefully; you are more concentrated and focused on your steps more than usual (the Buddhist monks tend to go barefoot). Maybe it all had a meditative effect, or maybe it was a boost of energy from the beneath the Earth, something like the opposite of how you soak up vitamin D from the sun above. Maybe it was the psychological pushing and prodding of my internal world. Maybe it was the instinctual need for physical stimulation of the body. Maybe it was sensual stimulation of the mind and feet. Maybe it was all of it together that reenergized my body, mind and soul. Maybe it was a bit of everything. I don’t know yet. But I feel I have given myself some psychological and perceptual reorganizing. Maybe it has been a Thai Massage-like internal workout for the body and mind.

An Experiment in Restructuring the Mind

However way, when you throw yourself into the deep end for an experiment in self-growth, it is not always easy and does take some courage and effort. And, so it should. Everything worthwhile always involves an element of difficulty. Why should one be rewarded without having put in any work anyway? Personally, I am very satisfied with this experiment and it has been an interesting, fun and valuable experience and I am sure I will enjoy the benefits of it for a long time to come. I will probably try to keep up with the occasional sock-walk when and where possible, and will aim at attempting the experiment again in other parts of the world. So, if next time you see a guy out in his white socks, it just might be me. Cheers! J

Note:

Yes, I got several pairs of socks dirty. They washed up well when hand washed in the shower. I got zero holes in them. I received zero cuts or injuries from being out shoeless during these five days.

[mirovoi1]

I set out to find out if it is possible to TRAVEL internationally with NO SHOES on and recorded the experience. Check out the full video at: https://youtu.be/Agurr-y4KoM

[mirovoi1]

Out and about in Bangkok City. No shoes, no worries.

[mirovoi1]

Thoughts from Eastern Europe

 The rarely-seen morning sunlight glimmers in the side mirrors as I travel along the gently-winding country roads between Białystok and Rzeszow. The quiet time alone in the car during the previous weeks in Russia and the Baltic countries puts my mind on a journey of its own; ordering old thoughts, discovering new ones; the mental creativity and organisation putting me into a perfect blissful little state. A slither of sunlight on the skin feels like heaven during a wet, dark and cold Northern Europe in winter. Sunlight is a novelty for sure and it must have suddenly awoken a new idea in me. However, it came as more of a cold slap in the face when the more chilly, foggy, incoherent side of our perceived normalcy revealed itself to me.

 I realised at that moment it was better that I delete the BBC News app from my phone; better to remove such nonsense from my life.  It is preferable to use your own eyes to judge the world, rather than blindly digest the shit you are fed. The West has lost its way and with the aid of such media, the frequently criticised Eastern European nations actually appear to me to be rather sensible places – not close-minded, backward and bigoted. They are friendly, welcoming, open-minded, grounded places. Reading the news, though, you would not think that. Media paint pictures with brooms and people hang them as art; if I didn’t visit myself, I’d never know such truths.

(Białystok, northwest Poland)

(Białystok, northwest Poland)

(Photo: just south of Białystok, northeastern Poland) 

  What struck me harder that morning than my vision competing with the bright light coming through the window-shield was the internal reflections going on in my head. 1) during our travels in Kenya, we saw women and children who walk up to five kilometres per day with buckets on their heads to fetch water for the family to drink and wash with. I remember seeing the hope of a better future through the simple smiles on their faces. 2) At the same time other thoughts of several Chinese adults that travelled with us on adventures who tirelessly complained that how travelling and sitting in vehicles was tiring. (Oh, how they should carry tanks of water on their heads for a while!). Then 3) not far from right here in Poland, further out in Western Europe, mass protests going on with groups like ‘extinction rebellion’ screeching that the world will end if we do not out rightly ban all use of motor vehicles and industry. That naïve bunch would have us banished back to the dark in order to ‘save the planet’. But we know who needs to be rescued, and it is not the planet. You can see the misdirected anger and overt lostness in their existence, but they can’t see it. I wish they had to carry water on their heads for miles each day too.

 Humans do not know what they want and need. They do not know what they are doing either. At one end of the world they trudge long distances and wish for cars. At the other, they are in cars complaining that it is difficult sitting inside them. And at the another, they have known cars for too long that they wish to destroy them and to walk again. This is all too confusing for me; for a simple guy like me.

If only humans could save themselves from themselves….

(Photo: Lublin, Poland)

(Photo: Icy country backroads - this is actually in Lithuania)

As I head along with the sun once more pushing through the morning mist, frost on the grassy fields shimmering beneath, I wonder just how much we are unable to see. I ponder over how often we are blinded by our own situations. We seem to never understand what we are living. Over-comfort, distorted realities, self-deceit, abject poverty; in the end, no matter the situation and location, humans are all suffering from something - whether it be of true or perceived misfortune, real-world or self-inflicted misery. African, European, Asian, always occupied with concerns; some flaunting their circumstances to my east and others their moral superiority to my west, others with buckets on their heads. 

 It’s 9am, and the sun has already retreated here in rural eastern Poland, spits of rain already beginning to fall. It is really good to be on the road, in a part of the world that currently, still seems to be free of such ‘issues’ – not too poor, not too rich, not too far from its roots, not too far up in the air. Being the traveler that I am, I am luckily free from being a participant in the illogicalness of societies, unrestrictedly observing from the outside, able to close the windows and lock the doors during the dark of the days. And for those people who sense the same, maybe you too should just hop into the car.

And on a side note, I'd like to whisper a quiet word of congratulations to Poland.

(Photo: the first real piece of sunlight I saw in a month, gone by 9am)

[mirovoi1]

Haven’t posted for a while, but thought I’d poke my head up 

- from a rental apartment in Tunis

[mirovoi1]

Wandering around Belgrade for the day... without shoes. Great city, by the way - no one reacts in a weird way at all. Go Serbia! :D

[mirovoi1]

To the supermarket, then to the beach 😄

[mirovoi1]

Sunset, sand, sea and swimming. Marari Beach, kerala, India

[mirovoi1]

Arriving back in India feels great! Stepping back into the world without shoes on is one of the best feelings ever. Jama Masjid in Old Delhi put on a good show for the camera, too. There will be a lot of days out doing travel photography to come, and that reminds me - I may need to go and buy a few more pairs of socks...

[mirovoi1]

This temperature is more like it! Hi New Delhi.