Vagabond or Bondages of Time!

Haven’t been there times when you just set off alone or with a set of friends to a destination that you perhaps did not know while starting on the journey. Maybe you joined the herd, or was instrumental in putting together this vagabond experience of being a backpacker.

Haven't you set off on a journey where everything was chance, and the objective was grabbing each chance that came your way – or people who obliged you. That Journey is called LIFE!

That wave of the thumb for a Blind Lift – that brief interaction with the driver, and convincing the person to drop you to the destination or somewhere en-route, and then seeking another mode to reach the destination. As you sit through a lorry loaded with luggage and see the cars whizzing past by you to almost the same destination that you are headed, you envy the other person’s comfort. You seek an accommodation that is rustic, and can make do with whatever is available and comes your way. How exciting, one thought, but when one reminisces – one tends to think, “How Childish?” or “How Silly?”
One grows up, and experiences holidays from a different perspective. You Plan, You vacillate, You make choices. You select the best. All of a sudden you have to drop some, because it doesn’t fit within your budget. Everything right from logistics, travel, stay has to be flawless. Anything that is not in keeping with the experience is seen as intrusive. You complain about the food, the facilities, the service, the people, the ambiance, the locations, the climate and whatever else you can justify as not being upto the mark.

Adapt they say, but we seldom want to. Adjust they say, but we want to be more upright, Be Accommodative they say, but we like to revel in snobbery.

Backpacker versus Planners (Itinerary followers), both have their pros and cons, but essentially represent approach to life. Backpackers are carefree, happy go lucky, optimisers (minimum spending, maximum pleasure), and time for them is near infinite, experience is also infinite. This perhaps represents the herd in real life too.

The planners have a choice to make – for time is finite and hence a premium. , and hence there is a schedule for everything. A designated time for each item to be quantified in a linear fashion. Clockwork precision is prime, and what has been promised has to be delivered.

Both these are two sides of the same coin, but love to scoff at each other for their whims and fancies. In life too, most of us are like backpackers, while few are planners. But let the battle continue in who what to brand the other a loser for their approach in life.