I’ve always been fascinated by people who march to the beat of their own drum. Some think that these people are dangerous but I disagree. The ones I find interesting are all, or were, peaceful (at least as far as I can tell) in their complete rejection of the conventional path. I think that that is what their critics really dislike about them and why they consider them dangerous. Anything that’s way outside the norm is considered by many to be dangerous and destructive until it’s been around long enough for people to see it for how it truly is.
Many of the people who fascinate me have spent a good portion of their lives exploring with no real destination in mind. During that time, they were just learning about the world and seeing what’s out there. This is in sharp contrast to the people who become so laser focused on arriving at a certain point that they don’t have time to slow down and see what they find from living in the present moment. I think those who’ve lived to learn and explore can teach me much more about the human condition than those who live to work and stay firmly planted on the conventional path.
If you’re familiar with some of my past posts on these subjects, you can probably see why I’m drawn to those who go their own way. I love learning about their lives and, in some cases, drawing inspiration from them on things I can add to my own life (although I make sure to steer clear of self-destructive behavior). I’ve also done some exploring and wandering myself, during both pleasant and unpleasant times. During the unpleasant times, I wanted to forget about my life situation, so I’d immerse myself in anything that would take my mind off of it for a while. In the pleasant times, things were going so well for me that I felt free to explore at my leisure and return to that place of stability whenever I wanted. I think there’s great beauty in choosing to do things differently, not because you hate the way things are now and want to be different, but because you’ve found something that resonates more with you. At this point, I don’t see how I could do otherwise, and I look forward to seeing what I discover on this path.