Finding Purpose

**This is a blog that I had started on September 19th, but never posted. Enjoy.**

As we enter our fourth week on our journey across “The Great 48,” as I like to call it, I have a few reflections on our journey.

The most enjoyable moments for me have been in the spirit of spontaneity. This trip has been, since its inception, been a crash course in what I can only describe as “planned improvisation.” We do what we want, when we want.

I enjoy the moments in between moments.

I talked to Mike the other day about finding a purpose. While we both realize that this is a trip in which we will have a good time, I find myself, like many other endeavors in my life, searching for a greater meaning. There are so many causes that need attention throughout the world, and I feel that we, with Enlightenation as our means in which to reach people, have the power to do something. What follows are some examples of things that I feel warrant attention because of the way they impacted me throughout this trip.

1. The amount of poverty in the U.S and neighboring Canada.
- Vancouver was a beautiful place with beautiful scenery and people. What struck me was the overwhelming amount of homeless roaming the street in downtown. Being from the greater Los Angeles area and spending the last year in San Francisco has really opened my eyes to the problem of poverty. I will openly admit that I need to do much more research into this, but clearly something needs to be done.

2. The closing down of the only movie house in Baker City, Oregon.
- Being a lover of film, I feel it is disappointing whenever a movie theater closes; when it is the only one in town, it is downright tragic. This is exactly what happened in Baker City. The theater, which had just recently been upgraded from one screen to three, was shut down because it did not have a sprinkler system. Deemed too expensive to replace, it has been closed.

3. The restoration of the old railroad along the Yellowstone River into Gardiner, Montana.
- Along the Yellowstone River, in which the three of us white water rafted, lie the tracks of a former railroad, which was once the only way into Yellowstone from the North. Abandoned and neglected long ago, the restoration of this railroad would be a beautiful way to experience the Yellowstone River and the views along the way.

There’s more but I don’t have the energy to finish.