Changing Your Life: a Must Read

I've been wanting to post this here for a while, and I think it's about time.  I'm graduating from college in two weeks, and it's just a crazy feeling to realize all the different opportunities that are out there in the world.  In reality, I don't really know what I want to do with my life beyond going to graduate school in a year to pursue a doctorate degree, and there are so many other decisions to make that will have a huge impact on my life. 

Here is one of the most inspiring stories I have ever read:
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showthread.php?t=787&page=28

I linked directly to page 28 because that's the only page where the whole story is collected in one place (otherwise it's scattered in order around the thread).  If you can find the time to read it, this is an amazing autobiography (in progress) of a man who has traveled all over the world and had some incredible experiences.  I don't think I have ever read something that has made me reevaluate my life and my future more than this.  This story is just one of those things that make you realize all that's out there in the world.   When I originally found this thread I spent the next three hours reading every page and every response, and the story has honestly changed my life in a number of ways. 

An excerpt:

I had my laptop with me and I was made to fire it up to prove it was mine. I did as I was asked and then a whole bunch of airport staff came over and wanted to see it. It took me almost half an hour to get away. I made it through customs and walked out to the taxi stand. It was evening now. The air was warm. A Ugandan dude came up to me with a sheepish look and handed me a note. This must be my ride into Kampala. The note said;

“Run Adam, run. It’s all gone to shiit. Get out while you still can.”

There was what appeared to be dried blood on the note. I didn’t even consider for a moment that this was real. Where was I supposed to run to? The Congo? I asked the little dude if he was a taxi driver. He was. I loaded my bags in the back of his taxi and we were all set to go when just at that moment Uncle Mick and Colin came out from behind a pillar with grins on their faces. Yeah guys, really funny. The first thing that Mick said was, “Where’s your fecking guitar?”

“I sold it to get here.”

“You sold it!? We only got you the job cause of how you play the guitar!”

We unloaded my bags from the now unhappy looking taxi drivers car and piled into the company car. It takes an hour to drive into Kampala from Entebbe. The first thing that struck me was the number of people. Between the airport and the city it’s basically scrubland and jungle, but there were people everywhere. Every 50 or so meters there was a fire on the side of the road with people standing around it. I couldn’t get my head around the situation. We were following an open-backed truck which had about 20 revelers in the back. They were drinking and shouting and carrying on and we couldn’t get past them. The state of the road was disrepair taken to lavish extremes. Suddenly the tailgate of the truck dropped open and a large box flew out of the truck. We had to swerve to avoid it. It cracked open and a body rolled out. It was a coffin. They were going to a funeral. We were stopped behind the truck as we watched the ‘revelers’ jump out to retrieve the body. They were all laughing and passing around bottles of beer. Smoke from the roadside fires drifted across the scene. Mick turned to me and with a deadpan stare said,

“Welcome to Africa.”


Hopefully some of you will find this as eye-opening as I have.  If not, at least I tried.