they say the train that explores California’s coast boasts the most natural beauty of any in the continental U.S., and it certainly holds true for at least those segments which i was privy enough to experience. we roll out of los angeles in the morning and into the bay area at dusk, but along the way we are treated to spectacular coastal views and verdant, rolling expanses eminent of Steinbeck’s avid descriptions.
this ride winds up being the only one of all i have taken in which i do not stray from the observation lounge car, giving the Vietnamese college student who was unfortunate enough to be seated next to my junk the opportunity to stretch out on the way to San Jose.
i kept good conversational company along the way with Keith, a youth counselor from Baton Rouge now living and working in New Mexico with at-risk youth, juvenile delinquents, and drug addicts. himself a former seminarian, he was journeying to a Benedictine monastery in Big Sur for a weeklong retreat offering meditation and discernment. he would be living, working, and praying alongside monks noted for their progressive positions. in a way our journeys bear similarity – we both seek adequate time and space for reflection on future direction. this is probably the first time i have met someone this entire trip in a similar predicament.
keith helps me realise several things: one, that my religious beliefs are pretty fringe by catholic standards. and two, that my decision to take this trip reflects a very Taoist ideal that i had not previously considered: the yin and the yang.
since graduating college i’ve worked steadily for 3 1/2 years. granted i have taken trips all the while, but nothing to this extent. this is the ying, represented by the white half below. i’ve put away enough money (hopefully) to subsist on my thoughts and travels alone for a while. this is the yang, represented by the black half.
an important precept in taoist (and, not surprisingly, Buddhist) thought is that the lack of something does not denote its opposite. thus in my case my current decision to “lack responsibility” does not qualify as my being irresponsible. it merely suggests an absence of responsibility.
talking to people for the entire duration of this trip has also helped me realise how close to my heart are issues of violence, crime, gun control and societal malfunction at large. this makes me think these themes will somehow bear relevance to whatever i end up doing with my life.
as the train glides into the bay i glance out the window for one last sunset. i promised myself i wouldn’t transform this into a cliché, something along the lines of the sun setting on my journey, or some bullshit like that, since i’m not that kind of writer. rather i will let a picture speak for my current lack of verbage (verbal+garbage=verbage). have a nice day.
