Exit 50; An Introduction

Billy Novitsky
Sep 9, 2018 · 3 min read

Partly philosophy, mostly a journey and ultimately a departure from the status quo, Exit 50 represents my search for authenticity, freedom and truth. Most of us have approached some sort of crossroads at one time or another; a set of circumstances that are magnified by the triggering effects of anger, bitterness, scorn, frustration or exhaustion. Perhaps the stagnation of comfort or lack of purposeful challenges finally became clear. Maybe the rusty cage that you voluntarily enter and exit every day has worn out its welcome. Whatever may be gnawing at your conscious, stirring the soul or catching your mind’s eye; an exit off of this chaotic, ego driven, hyper opinionated, toxic highway is just up ahead.

Around Exits 35, 36 and 37, I really wanted to get off and keep going until every hint of civilization was a distant memory, however my senses always interfered with my inner wandering vagabond and I repeatedly got back in my place in the never ending American rat race. For me, the urgency of soul searching began then, about fifteen years ago. At the time my life of freedom out in the field was eroding into the captivity of middle management and I was sickened by the oncoming prospects. Unfulfilled promises overflowed my inbox, stabs in the back become routine and long hours weighed heavily on my withering freedom. An exit of any type seemed to be way off in the distance and I needed to find a way to live on my own terms in the meantime.

While the exit ramps slowly passed by, I opened myself up to meditation, philosophy and minimalism. I found myself building my own modest universe, unpenetrated by popular culture, politics, religion or the filthy currency of opinion and toxic circumstance. Since then, the elements of life which exhilarate me are limited to travel, fitness, music, writing and reading. Exit 50 is a culmination of living passionately within this universe, while slowly detaching from the conventional, mind numbing status quo.

Throughout my 30’s and 40’s I cleansed myself of ego, fear, aimless anger and pointless judgement. All the while, built up mental clutter such as stubborn opinion, brainwashing belief and shallow thought drifted away, increasing my freedom with each passing day. Now its time to completely break away from the ills of a corrupt, meaningless, withering society. The same society that I've been fighting a losing battle against for decades. Steeped in the inane characteristics of popular culture, society’s significance continues to be degraded, leaving raw spirit with no choice but to wander off to create an alternative, peaceful universe.

My mind and spirit have reached that beautiful universe; deeply entrenched in pure joy and fearless self expression, while my physical state is still slowly but surely entering such a new universe. Exit 50 will complete my dream, my nirvana, my search for deepness, rawness and truth. I shall live my remaining years in pursuit of greater levels of consciousness, while living out my passion untethered to the toxicity of convention and unmoved by popular opinion. My authentic soul has finally chosen to exit the expressway of lies, broken promises and irrelevant, insignificant bullshit for good.