After the uprising of the 17th June
The Secretary of the Writers Union
Had leaflets distributed in the Stalinallee
Stating that the people
Had forfeited the confidence of the government
And could win it back only
By redoubled efforts. Would it not be easier
In that case for the government
To dissolve the people
And elect another?

This is the problem with 95% of "traveling" in our era. It almost all involves moving at inhumanly fast speeds.

I am not being hyperbolic when I say that the only travel that doesn't ultimately leave the traveler worse off is long-distance walking and cycling.

Shipping the body around like a piece of cargo comes at an immense cost to one's sanity unless it is only done very occasionally and in very short stints. I speak from far too much experience when I say that extended bouts of modern high-speed travel quite literally make you crazy.

Where it appears to be enriching or edifying, it is a dangerous dupe -- like an Ayhuasca trip or a steamy tryst. Feels profound in the moment, but is in fact only a high-speed sprint into madness.

If you must travel for the sake of pure leisure, learning, pilgrimage, etc -- walk, canoe, bike. And if you cannot bear that idea, save yourself the money and madness and stay comfortably seated on your front porch.

I am not joking in the slightest, I really mean this.