How paranoia can ruin a trip

Posted on October 28, 2009  •  3 minutes  • 458 words

Paranoia in itself is a raw emotion, brought on by our ancestors surviving in the wild. I’m sure at one point in time, it saved many Homo erectus’s from being eaten by bears, sabre tooths, or whatever was kicking around in those days. However, in today’s society, paranoia can cause more problems than solve. My recent cross Canada Trip originally came out of necessity, as I was moving to Halifax, which is relatively far away. However, I figured since I’m going to be traveling, why not enjoy the sights and sounds along the way? Stop here for a week, stay there for another, perhaps take a tour, hop on a boat, maybe do some biking. However, many of these thought-out activities were canceled due to the fact that paranoia kicked in. Not mine, personally I am fearless. I am a Lion in the wild, I am Thor, I am Man. This paranoia that caused so many potential activities to be left behind in our trail of dust was unfortunately brought on by my friend and travel companion Justin. I’m not insulting him, his fears were perhaps rational, and coming from a city with the highest crime rate per capita could be just cause for some paranoia. We were after all carrying thousands of dollars worth of gear. But the fact of the matter is, they are only “things”.  That’s what insurance is for. The moment you start allowing objects to own you, freedom begins to lose priority. If your love for an object is more than the love for yourself and others, you really need to take a step back and re-evaluate your situation. It could be your computer, your car, your house, or in this case, a guitar. All of which only tie you down further from the freedom of being able to decide that that trip to South America would be what’s best for yourself, or that a roadtrip to the other side of the country is a logical idea. Perhaps we have society to blame, you can’t turn on the radio or TV without hearing how we’re all going to die of greenhouse gases, flooding, swine flu, hurricanes, muggers, thief’s, terrorists and suicide bombers. Whether or not the Media is doing it deliberately is up to debate, but whatever it is they are doing seems to be keeping the majority of the population in a State of Fear. Throwing away the worries of your possessions and comfort can be very liberating. Losing that ancient feeling of paranoia can offer many benefits. This transition will come easy for some, and hard for others. I suggest you give it a go. Flip the bird to the world and yell “Shut your face, the world ain’t that bad.”