Labels, Part 2

We label people to help us understand certain behaviour, the same way we would label a food group. It simply makes it easy for us to understand something. Take honey for example, we know what it is but we may not know what this particular wattle gum flavour tastes like. Back to that is a second. My last post hinted on things we may understand and expect from a hippy. But clearly this stereotyping has little use when characterising someone’s attitudes, opinions and behaviour. I don’t think this really matters though because as long as we label someone we can then either choose to befriend or avoid. Fair enough..

I don’t like honey, so why would I like that particular wattle gum flavour?

It’s this way of life beneath the label which intrigues me the most and how it applies to our own life. We’re all taught to believe in certain ideals, maybe not from our parents or peers but over time we form our own opinions and thus we hopefully bind our own persona. I think it would be nice to believe we then live accordingly making our idealistic reasoning a realistic virtue. But is this what usually happens?

I’m speaking as a 20 something that is relatively fresh from school, first career etc. Did I know what I wanted to do, did I know what I believed in and enjoyed. Well yeah, but that’s hardly the point is it.. Being brought up as a right-wing christen capitalist, yes how that works is rather bizarre but let’s not get too bogged down in it. Earning money for a rich, successful and comfortable life was of the upmost important factors. So I trudged off not into the bush but into an office. Earning what I consider reasonable money making something of a delusional career.

Have you ever looked back and thought about what you would have done if you didn’t do this? Did you lose that special something you had so much passion for when you were younger.. A couple of years ago I caught up with a friend who I used to ride BMX with when I was about 14. He was about 17 years old now and we got talking about what he was planning to do now that school was out. “Ride my bike”.. I remember being a little taken back by this comment at the time. I think I even laughed and asked him again this time focusing the question on work. “Ride my bike”. Hell I would have loved to kept body boarding/surfing, but seriously I had to get real didn’t I. Anyway as it turned out about another couple of years later I was told even his teachers had given him stick about his BMX riding, saying stuff like “You won’t get anywhere riding your bike”. Pretty uninspiring stuff really, but I don’t think it ever stopped him..

Check the interview from the bike company he now rides for in the Pro Team.

When I got back home I divulged my plans with some friends to travel around Tasmania with a tent and hopefully not work. It was received with some very mixed feelings and fair enough though, it’s not exactly for everyone is it, living with only the essentials in a very remote wilderness. But something I did learn while I was away is that everyone has a different comfort zone or tolerance. Clearly the Northern Territory was a much harsher environment with its sweltering heat and nasty as hell inhabitants who for the record hate you! (This is the animals and insects I’m referring to!) But the people who live there generally thrive in it, fishing with the crocs and sand flies every chance they get.

So what is that makes someone want to live here, or do that. The movie/book Into The Wild, featuring the life of the intrepid adventurist Chris McCandless is distinct in my mind when I think of inspiring people. Not the unfortunate ending of his life or the emotional baggage he had to deal with but rather his abundant fullness of life without being caught in the whirlwind of normalcy. Honestly that is what I think it is, that line between being YOU without getting caught up in all the distractions. We enjoy the simple things that make us, as a person happy not what is expected of us from others.

“I’m not superman, I’m super tramp and your super apple!”