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Jack Kerouac and the big look forward

June 28, 2011

With not long to go I can’t stop thinking about this amazing trip. I resigned from my job last week much to the shock of my colleagues. I’ve been around my job for a while so it seems weird that they’re going to have to hire someone else to do my job. Of course I’m irreplaceable!

 

Out of this trip I’m really looking forward to spending more time writing and doing photography, two things I’m so passionate about. I think this whole trip is about pursuing our passions and learning about the world. I’ve started working on a novel called Evenin’s Empire, set in 1950s America around San Francisco. It’s inspired by the beats like Kerouac… who can travel and not love Kerouac?

 

My favourite book of his is surprisingly not On The Road, but the Dharma Bums, the book he wrote when he was a practicing Zen Buddhist. It really explores the spiritual aspects of travel, which is something some backpackers neglect when they’re boozing their way through Europe.

 

I’m not seeking to replicate Kerouac’s experiences but imitate his style of learning by “getting nowhere”. Personally, I don’t think Kerouac had it all together; far from it, he was a well documented alcoholic who had major family issues and struggled greatly to find peace in the world. But when he writes, it’s inspiring. You can’t read his books and not want to go.

 

I’m also looking forward to seeing the kitsch side of America, something I’ve been fascinated with since I was a kid. We’ll get to go to Graceland, the Dolly Parton theme park, hopefully Roswell, space command; all the things you see in movies and wish you could go there. Most of all I’m just looking forward to adventures! Challenging myself to go further into the unknown, not to worry too much about planning or being somewhere at a specific time. To drive and experience new things, to seek out new life and new civiliz… now I think my Dad’s Star Trek influence is coming out. Eek.

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