Adios, Asiatic: A Journey that was Inspiring and Enriching

“Life is a journey, not a destination,” Emerson said; it’s a journey without a
destination (unless, of course, we cynically conclude that death is the inevitable
destination of life). We travel and travel and then suddenly run out of road. Any
hope of destination is an illusion. But having that hope is critical. It is the hope
that keeps us going. Although the journey does not take us to a specific place, the experience can be inspiring and edifying. The degree of the enrichment will
depend on the individual’s level of commitment to the journey. There will be
twists and turns along the road, bumps and treacherous corners, frustrations and despair, but we must keep steady and engage in the journey fervently. We must enjoy it but not in the spirit of a tourist, looking for scenic roads and diversions or trivial touristy experiences; then our life will turn into a curio shop, full of trinkets, or a wasteland condemned to endless tedium and nullity, like T.S. Eliot’s “hollow men.”