I Will Seek Truth

I Will Seek Truth

I haven’t shared this publicly yet, as I don’t want to be exposed to, or influenced by, other people’s fears and unfounded opinions on the matter. But I’m feeling particularly feisty today, so here we go! 

Once my van project is complete, I’m seriously considering taking a road trip through Mexico, Central America and possibly even South America. 

For the most part I’ve stopped sharing this road trip idea with people, because most of them just start spouting off all of their fears and biases about the subject. It happens almost every time I bring it up, which gets old fast. 

Predictably, they cite corruption, cartels and murder. “It’s a battlefield down there!” they say. Implying that no one is safe. 

And maybe they’re right. 

Awful things have certainly happened before, and I’m even willing to believe they continue to happen. But since I’ve never personally been to most of these countries I can’t say for sure. 

And here’s the thing—neither have they. 

So far none of the people that have expressed fear about my plan have ever done anything like it. Most haven’t even visited any of these countries, let alone lived in them.

Without a doubt these people are simply thumbing through their mental rolodex of all the awful news headlines and stories they’ve heard over the years, willing to accept that what they heard is completely representative of the entire country. 

And maybe it is. 

But I have my doubts.

Look, I’ve also heard the stories and seen the headlines—I’m afraid of these things too. I’m not saying that they don’t exist and that a trip like this is completely without risk. What I’m saying is that I am unwilling to allow someone's news headline rolodex to represent absolute truth. And I’m unwilling to allow another person’s fears to sway my decision.

What I am willing to do is to seek as much information as possible, and then make my decision after that. 

Which is why I’ve compiled a huge list of books, podcasts, vlogs, blogs and forums on the topic of traveling through Latin America. In order to gather information from people that have actually done it. I want to know the good, the bad and the ugly.

If I collect all of this information and find that the rolodex people are right and this trip is too dangerous, I’ll change my plans. No biggie. 

But I will seek truth for myself instead of allowing fear to control me.

“Do you really want to look back on your life and see how wonderful it could have been had you not been afraid to live it?” -Caroline Myss

P.S. Next week I’ll share a story about what caused me to seriously question whether what I hear, believe, fear and speak are actually true. Stay tuned for Part Two!