On My Journey, I Found The Sense of Escape and Black&White

last week, I traveled to Bali for more than ten days. The purpose of my trip was to join the biggest literary festival in Southeast Asia, called the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival. At the very first time of the trip, I did everything by myself. yes, I was a solo traveler on a few days earlier.

On my solo trip there, the chance to reflect things about life while enjoying the city of Ubud was bigger. Because a lot of new things appeared every time I keep busy with my mind. I found a delightful feeling when I’m alone.

However, that does not necessarily make me an individualist, which meant not open to the environment. I became acquainted with a woman who really inspired me, which made my journey filled with new thoughts and views for myself.

Escape

This word sounds wild and negative to some people. For me, escape is something that I always want to get. Not all meanings about escape are negative. in an escape, we can find many things that we would never expect.

However, not that much time is obtained to escape.

What is the problem? It is possible for everyone to escape at any time, if we want to. Go where, with whom, and what will be done at the destination. Though, it cannot be denied that it is true that everything in the world is confined by responsibility.

One of the reasons I raised this theme was because in my experience escape was the best thing I had done so far. Of course, there are many reasons, but what I want to highlight the most is the opportunity to encounter surprises that arise while I’m on escape. In my first experience, the most unexpected surprise was freedom of self.

In solitude, I find my own will. This body and mind increasingly know where to go in my life. All the worries of the future were vanished, defeated by optimism in myself that I will be able to live the future with the accordance of my choices and desires of life.

Even I realize the differences that exist over the life choices I choose when outside and inside escape are very large. When outside escape, all forms of choice in life are unconsciously affected by the environment in family and friends. However, when I’m on escape, all kinds of thoughts for life choices are for me. I am the possessor of power over myself, without interference from any aspect.

Black and White

On my journey, I met a woman who was very inspiring and opened my perspective. She is an independent person and very open to new people. Also, she is a figure who always wants to learn new things in her life.

When she told me a lil bit of her life story, I assumed that her life was not easy. Many bitter stories that she experienced, such as divorce, fighting for the right as a mother to live with her child, and many other things that can not be mentioned.

I legit admire her because she survived. She was always seen smiling on her face. Every time I tried to reflect on her problems to be in my life, I feel that it is not certain that I can be as strong and reliable in solving those kinds of problems.

However, out of all the bitterness of life that she experienced, now she lives happily with her partner in Ubud, and she is proud LGBT with her partner and is on her way to write a book about the life stories of an LGBT. One of the goals she writes this book is so then later she could become famous and hope to win the trial to get the right to live with her youngest child.

Hence, from her story, it made me realize that there is a lot of manipulation between black and white in life. I see what looks black by people, apparently, in some cases, it can look white. In her case, with all the darkness in her life, she saw it in a white way. She looked like she capable in thinking clearly, even though it does take time and it is a difficult process.

From her story, I got the view that no matter how bitter life is, the darkness of life that we always face, eventually, we all will have a happy ending, no matter what form we will get at the end. We will remain wholly white, even though there is always black on the other side.

Closing

In the end, from all the experiences I got from deepening my mind through the reflections and stories of others, the most important thing is to remain yourself. Just be yourself. Because no matter how heavy or joyful your life is, the person that will face those things is only yourself. Then, do what you think is good for yourself.