--- Socrates
Never in the history of humanity have so many people possessed the ways and means to delve into the roots of our personal beliefs and the ethos of our greater cultures.
We all have access to unlimited data at our fingertips with computers and now smart phones.
Unfortunately, many instead tend to use this great power to simply forward memes without ever considering the roots of their beliefs.
Many people seem to have ceased to even experience everyday physical reality, choosing to plug in headphones and read tweets while walking along the beach.
One of the best ways to do this is travel.
It actually isn't even necessary to leave the region where you've lived your entire life to explore, and many who never travel have accumulated great wisdom, but escaping the familiar stimulates our minds in ways unimagined by those trapped in a video game reality.
When strolling through ancient ruins, you can still spend all your time fiddling with your smart phone, but you also just might realize you are part of a much greater reality.
In distant lands, you will find answers to questions you should have about the roots of your own beliefs and certainly also help you understand other perspectives. As American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "The mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions.”
While an obvious interpretation of living an "examined life" might make you think Socrates advocated endless navel-gazing, I see it as encouraging us to get out of our own heads and into the greater world in which we each have integral parts to play.
A movie that's not exactly deep thinking --- the sequel to "Mamma Mia!" --- to some extent addresses this concept.
Despite many detractors, the original movie found many fans, including me. I first watched "Mamma Mia!" on a flight to the Western Mediterranean ten years ago. I watched the sequel on cable last night, and while not reality, even the classic Greek philosophers enjoyed escape in dramas and comedies that ideally expand understanding of life.
I have to say, if you didn't like the original, you probably won't like the sequel, other than it does eliminate my wife's primary objection: extended solos by her favorite James Bond, Pierce Brosnan.
In many ways, "Here We Go Again" re-traces the story of the first movie from a different perspective, and --- in answer to the question of how many more songs does Abba have? --- it also retreads some favorites from the original but in new ways.
And isn't that why we love returning to favorite places, where we can see them again from new perspectives?
After all, if we are truly living an examined life, then we are not exactly the same person we were yesterday, much less ten years ago, and the places we travel have also evolved.
But like travel, the movie concept also had some differences the second time around, including the setting, which gave something of a makeover to the Greek Isle to make it seem more like gorgeous Patmos. It also brought to mind a special trip to Madaro.
The more we travel, the greater the distinctions we make not only between places we visit but what we understand to be truth.
And, of course, it is always fun when we see a movie or read a novel to be able to visualize actually having been there or anticipating a future sojourn.
Where have you always wanted to go or promised yourself you would one day return?
Remember, there is meaning all around you, at every step along the way, not just at the point of arrival in a dream destination. Who you become to reach that destination is a voyage of its own.
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