The World is So Dang Connected
Seven Lessons Rob Greenfield Learned on a 4,000 Mile Trek From Panama City to San Diego
On the 18th day of Rob Greenfield’s trek from Panama City to San Diego, he lost his notebook. This small book was one of the few possessions Rob was carrying with him; he had landed in Panama City with only the clothes on his back and his passport, and planned to cross the 4,000 miles back to San Diego by relying on human connection and shared resources. His original trip plan included using the sharing economy, general resourcefulness, and a combination of social media and true human interaction to bridge the distance between Panama City and San Diego.
The plan didn’t include losing his notebook. But, in that moment, Rob learned something.
As he wrote on Facebook:
“I anxiously searched my bag for 5 minutes, realized I left it on the bench at the bus stop, thought for another 5 minutes and decided that losing the notebook was an opportunity to be more present and live for the experience rather than the story. I embraced the emotions inside me and let them go, acknowledging that every challenge is an opportunity for growth.”
Rob quickly found that even the small barrier of carrying and recording his journey in the notebook was preventing him from experiencing true human interaction. Without the burden of recording his experiences, he was able to see them more fully.
“The world is so dang connected,” Rob told me, after returning to San Diego and completing what he termed the Share My Way Home project: 4,000 miles, across seven countries, with only resourcefulness, social media, the sharing economy and human interaction to guide him.
That wasn’t the only lesson Rob learned.
1. People are good.
When Rob first announced that he was going to travel alone, through Panama, Honduras, Nicaragua, and other countries, he got the usual warnings about safety and the dangers of being alone in a foreign land.
However, what Rob found was that people were good — they wanted to help him, not hurt him, as he moved through his journey.
“By putting myself at the mercy of the people around me I got to see first hand just how good people are. I was on my own with strangers every day, 100’s of people I had never met before, and all I can remember from the journey is good people. Thinking about the beautiful connections I made with these strangers makes my heart race with excitement for the human race.”
2. You can travel with minimal possessions and money.
Rob’s decision to travel to Panama City with literally nothing — no money, no smartphone, no hotel reservations, no plans — was both an exploration into the economic theory that people will share resources and assets (often called the “sharing economy”) as well as an attempt to prove that people don’t need a lot of resources to travel. After all, one of the most common frustrations put forward by would-be world travelers, especially in the online communities Rob has developed, is “I wish I could travel like you do, but I don’t have enough money.”
So for this trip, Rob went money-free. He whittled his life down to the barest minimum possessions, and didn’t worry when he accidentally left one of those rare possessions behind. He trusted that everything he needed was inside himself — and ready to be shared with others.
3. Human beings need very little to be happy.
What made Rob happy, on his journey? A warm breeze. A sunny day. A good meal, shared with friends. The opportunity to share in someone else’s life. The chance to do good where he could, and help others the way he was being helped.
“Food, water, nature and the outdoors, exercise, positive relationships, and new experiences are all tools that aid in my happiness.” As Rob learned, it’s the sum of a few small, but important things, that make a person happy.
4. Happiness is a matter of perspective.
Of course, not every day involved beautiful beaches or delicious meals. Some days, Rob experienced hunger, self doubt, and a lack of purpose. His first day in Panama City he spent the entire day collecting aluminum cans and made $5 for the nearly 500 cans he found. The sun was beating down hard on the streets and with no money for food he satisfied his hunger by eating scraps left on plates in the shopping center food courts. Even though he knew why he was there he couldn’t help but feel the self doubt in his journey.
How did Rob handle the harder portions of his journey? By remembering that the highest highs in life wouldn’t exist without the lowest lows and every challenge is an opportunity to become a stronger human. In this manner he was able to appreciate the bad days and challenging experiences.
“Most of the experts in happiness will tell you that it comes from within and this is something I’m beginning to understand and experience more and more. Many of my most challenging moments that would put others to tears have been my happiest. I realize that it is my outlook and attitude that decides whether I feel happiness or sadness under any circumstance. Life is a matter of perspective.”
5. Happiness is found in the present.
Humans spend a lot of time nervous about the future or angry with the past. It’s hard to break out of that cycle and see the beautiful, simple, happy moments unfolding right in front of us. But, as Rob quickly learned, happiness comes from being in the present.
“Every day at home in San Diego I fight to be present in life and my cellphone and computer are the largest deterrents of true presentness. In this journey, cellphone and computer free, I was able to focus on exactly what was in front of me. I was present in my conversations with people, in my observations whether walking in the forest or sitting on the bus, in my thoughts, and on whatever task I had on hand. With this ability to connect in the present I remembered what it was like to be a kid again when what mattered was only what was in front of me. That is true happiness in the present.”
6. Connection comes from disconnection.
As Rob learned, losing his notebook allowed him to become even more connected to the people around him. Of course, losing his notebook only happened after he had left behind his smartphone, his laptop, and all of the other modern methods of staying “connected.” What he found was that disconnecting from these outside sources helped him become even more connected to the people around him.
“Walking the streets with no phone meant i had nothing to reach into my pockets for when I was uncomfortable or needing something to occupy my mind. Instead I talked to the man on the bench, the lady behind the counter, or the children in the park. I had no crutch to fall back on to feel connected such as emails, Facebook likes, or texts. Instead I talked to people and connected deeper with the people around me. Back in San Diego I am now leaving my phone at home and connecting so much deeper in the moments with my friends.
7. You find yourself by getting lost in others’ lives.
Where should you turn, when you don’t know what to do next? When you’re lost in a border town at night, or when you’re worried about where your next meal is coming from?
The answer, whether you’re an adventurer crossing seven countries or an ordinary person trying to navigate the complexities of modern life, is always to turn outwards. Turn to others. Learn about their lives and their concerns. Offer to help. Be there for them.
It’s one of the most wonderful paradoxes of human living: by doing what you can for other people, you find what you need for yourself as well. In Rob’s case, that meant helping a young man in Costa Rica learn to speak English. It meant giving away his possessions that would serve someone else more. It meant learning to trust that, when he felt lost, it was time to see how he could make someone else’s life better.
When Rob Greenfield lost his notebook in Costa Rica, he was afraid he wouldn’t remember the lessons he was learning on his cross-border adventure. It turned out to be exactly the opposite. Losing his notebook helped imprint these lessons of connection, perspective, and happiness in a way that Rob will never forget.
This article was commissioned by Rob Greenfield. Learn more about Rob’s work at RobGreenfield.tv.
Photo credits:
Header: Photo courtesy of Nick Elliseos.
Lesson 1: Photo courtesy of Elena Ross.
Lesson 3: Photo courtesy of Amanda Froelich.
Lesson 5: Photo courtesy of Julio Rosemberg Colorado.
Lesson 7: Photo courtesy of Alex Garzia Miranda.
