Traveling (in time, space and my mind)

If a time machine were ever invented the three places that I would like to visit would be:

1. Ancient Grece: I could die for a chance to meet Aristotle and Socrates. I would like to know how they did it. How they managed to pour all those thoughts out of their heads, how they could live through reason and reason alone. But most importantly, how did they manage to never doubt their reasoning. How did they know that they weren't being biased by their own experiences? Did they travel a lot? Were they particularly observant? How did they get to know human beings and life so well? Because whenever I try to reason, the only conclusion that I arrive to is that I know practically nothing. And I feel the compulsive need to run to the nearest library for I feel that the confines of my mind and my experience are too limiting for any valid thought to come out of there.

2. Medieval Europe: Just for the chance to go to a monastery. I don't know what monasteries are like these days, but in that time, monks were the only ones who could read and write. Therefore, in that time, a monastery was like a library in the middle of the woods and at the top of a hill. And, since lately I have been craving this separation from the world and the peace and tranquility that I think would come out of cutting all contact with your acquaintances, while nonetheless feeling the need for a source of reference and knowledge, I think that a medieval monastery would be the right place for me. A spiritual, but more importantly reflective retreat. Something of the sort of The Name of the Rose. Without the murders of course. And maybe without the mud. I don't know, do the Middle Ages come in the mud-free package?

3. Ancient Egypt: In particular, the library of Alexandria. I actually had to think about this one. I was hesitating between the beginning of the XXth century (meet and talk to Sartre, Camus and all the other french existentialists), ancient China, the Renaissance, etc. But somehow, all of these can be found either through travels or through books. However, ancient knowledge that has been forever lost is not something you can read about. And I could very well go to the new library in Alexandria, but it's hardly the same thing considering that the original scripts no longer exist. So yeah, I'd like to see the original library of Alexandria. Even though I'd probably be incapable of reading anything there, but being in that type of place does have a certain appeal.



And why is this song here? I honestly don't know. It's incredibly stupid when you take the time to listen to the lyrics. But it's also very sweet. Makes me think of an olive tree on an Italian hillside. I wonder if you can grow olive trees in Canadian weather. Probably not. What could ever survive in this wretched weather except maybe rocks and grass. Maybe that's why people are so fond of their lawns... Or maybe it's just the suburban way of thinking... and I'm rambling. Oooookkk, it's time for bed. Over and out.