“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.”
 - Chris Mccandless

There was a moment today, you could probably call it inspiration, I think it was more of a realization. I was walking along, sorry, waiting for a traffic light. On one of the cities busiest streets, where it's always rush-hour. I noticed, that if I were to snap a picture of me, and judge purely by how I look that I was like no body around me, Absolutely no body. I thought that was a shame to some extent. Let me first describe myself to you, at that particular moment. I'm on the corner of 22nd street and Avenue C, this is a pretty major street for Saskatoon as it's the exit to the west. The majority of people are driving, alone, most of them in cars made within the last decade. Most I notice clean cut, and most important of all most seemingly unhappy (Judging books by their cover here, sorry.) I on the other hand am walking, I never feel alone when I'm walking. I have all of life to keep me company. Being outside of a vehicle I have fresh air to fill my lungs, though not always when I'm downtown. My feet, shoeless, they're hanging from my backpack, which I bought at a thrift store. It's an old aluminum frame boy-scouts pack, It's great, cost me three dollars. I have my pants rolled up to my knees, as the sun is shining bright and I'd love to feel it instead of restrict it. I have on also a cut off plain white tee shirt, tucked in with my usual suspenders. I have a steel cup hanging from one of the clips on my suspenders, and my banjo strung over my shoulder and on my back, on top of my backpack. So here I am, standing bare-foot, in the "ghetto" Absolutely satisfied with every passing moment, pure happiness. That's when I realized, why am I so fortunate to feel happy, when all these other people seem so upset, some who actually honk, and make other gestures to show they're distaste for me. I wonder, what is it about me they see as off-putting. So I'm not wearing shoes, I'm outside, why should I, I'm not blind I can see where I'm stepping, and so no danger. Sure I've got a cup hanging from me, I'm prepared, I don't have to buy a drink, just fill my cup at any clean faucet. A backpack, and an instrument, I don't see anything wrong with that. Maybe it's that my clothes are obviously second hand, but then again I think that musn't be it, people love vintage clothing. I'll make a point to say, I am clean, I have no rips in my clothing, no stains, my face is clean, my hair is clean, maybe frizzy a bit, but clean. I really see no problem. That's why I wonder, why, why would anyone want to live in a way, whatever way that might be if it brings no happiness. I want to know why people do what they do. I have had lots of possible reasons come my way, but none of them stand on solid ground. Society at this moment in history is an irrational, unmotivated machine. It seems to have no conscious, no heart, no brain, and no soul. Where did it all go? Most of these people hold post secondary degrees I'm sure, yet why do they act like such fools? to be manipulated by corporate monsters, and media pigs. Why is it that we have given over 100% to Mammon, we need to surrender our thirst for more and realize that we need not what we want. People keep searching amongst material goods worshiping false gods in hope of happiness. All they find is self pity. Give it all up. There is no satisfaction to be found amongst our corporate market society and it must be dismantled. I'm sorry if all this sounds stupid, I just don't understand people, please feel free to enlighten me. Also I just want to add I'm not making presumptions about how people feel towards me some days, I have had people actually tell me how they feel about it, some of it is positive, usually only when I'm in a park amongst other people that are outside. The majority of it though is negative, It doesn't bother me at all, I'm rather happy being different, but it saddens me to see other people live such destructive lifestyles.