Exiting the Matrix & Exorcising Demons

Have you ever wondered if what you do today is what you were destined to be doing forever? Does it feel the commitment to your career is far more important than your role in the home? Is earning a wage and your job reponsibility defining you personal net worth?... Ever tried to change pace and broaden your horizon, just to find comfort in what you have always known as real?

As I travel through some of Australia's more remote and visually beautiful locations and switch into a more relaxed, lower gear, my pace of life has slowed and reflection become part of the daily routine.

For those who know me well would attest that over reflection on my behalf is risky behavior, however by way of complete honesty my thoughts about the future and in particular the working life still remain shrouded in a mud like fog with little clarity to what the next step will entail.

Most of us have watched (and rewatched) the movie the Matrix and without drawing too much metaphorically or at the risk of sounding cliched, I cannot help but feel that this movie reflects a realistic perspective of the lives of many that I know.

Being absent from the television and news of the day for almost three months, it has reinforced my views that much of our way of thinking and living is predetermined by someone else. Today as our life stands, we make decisions that will impact the way we live today.... We try not to plan to far ahead and endeavor to live life to the fullest just for each day.

BUT... this way of living is so foreign to everything I have been bought up to understand as "real". From the fundamental religous views of my parents, my schooling, chosen career path and necessity to earn enough to provide for the perceived 'needs' of my kids, life inside the Matrix has many perceived benefits. During our trip we have met many 'grey nomads' who appear to have left much of the lifestyle shift until the retiring years, again appearing to be living within just another level within the Matrix. For many it would seem the travel routine is determined by the next caravan park along the road and glass of Chardonnay and the same old story with others of a similar ilk.

Then there's those backpackers...

Mostly German on this coast, traveling though what would appear a 'rite of passage', almost a version of 'schoolies' however a little further afield.

Again, I wonder of their travel agenda is determined by their peers and need to have 'been there and done that'....

So... back to us, how does the Matrix impact our way of life and family existence. What does the future hold, how far can we stretch the finances so to maintain this way of living? If and when we have to stop long enough in one place to find employment, what will that look like? How does one maintain a sense of mental stimulation and also enough money to justify the time spent working?Or... Maybe the solution is to rejoin the populous and return inside of the Matrix, at least for most to allow somebody else to determine how you think and behave is the most comforting way forward.... so many questions... so few answers...

Now...about the Exorcising of Demons.... Since the forced change in what would have been the perceived ideal job and facing the disappointment of my previous role being terminated, I have not only carried the pain of this exit with me during this journey however also had much time to reflect what it has meant to me personally.

With the introspection driving me to distraction, I made a decision whilst on the top of Frenchman Peak in the beautiful Cape Le Grand National Park to release this unwanted baggage and ceremonially fly this chapter into the air.

Tempted to verbally let fly to the wind (something I resisted as the family were waiting eagerly below the peak I had ventured to alone and not wanting to scare them into thinking I had fallen off), I found another offering to the sky and vowed to close this chapter.

Although not completely released, the frequency of time permitted to these thoughts has quickly subsided and my mind now is focused on what should and could come next.... The answer is the next road we cross and town we blow into...

I guess just like me, you too will need to wait and see what that happens to be.