Swans Reflecting Elephants

Definitions. We live by them. We can’t help but categorise and label everything and everyone.

Since spending the past 2 months living in Chiang Mai I’ve been asked several questions repeatedly, that seek to define me:

• “Do you live here?” (well the opposite to living is dying, so yes)
• “How long have you been here?” (on this iteration or my entire past?)
• “Are you a digital nomad?” (….?!)

For the most part, I try to answer these in as vague a manner as possible, simply because, why does it matter? What difference does it make? Why do I need a label of “expat”, “immigrant”, “digital nomad”. We’re all the same, made of the same matter, and whilst we are shaped by our experiences, our knowledge and our environment, these labels we attach to ourselves don’t define our character, our traits, our personalities. When living in London, one of the first questions someone would ask me was “what do you do?”. Despite being thousands of miles away in a vastly different country and community, these definitions and labels still remain, and often in a rather more competitive sense.

Honestly, I’d rather you asked me what kind of chocolate I like (dark, at least 85% cocoa), or who my favourite photographer is (Yann Arthus Bertrand). Isn’t the point of meeting someone seeing whether you have a connection with them, some shared interests, or an common topic to discuss?

These comparisons we make only serve to satisfy, or magnify, our own insecurities.

One of the main reasons I love the tribes that have sprung up around me over the past year, is that we rarely ask each other any of these types of questions. I haven’t got a clue what most people at Project Awesome do for a living and I don’t ask them how long they’ve been in London. I just know they’re energetic and fun people who make me feel happy to be alive. Likewise with The Yes Tribe — the typical question I’d ask someone in this group, with excitement, is “what adventure are you planning next?” They’re an inspirational and uplifting bunch and there’s not one person I’ve met there that I don’t like or find boring.

There are so many interesting and amazing things in this world. Life’s too short to eat mild cheese, drink bad wine, or have mundane conversations.