The Five Phases of Death - Introduction
I believe that everyone is an artist. Not everyone takes the time to embrace their inspiration and imagination, and not everyone surrenders to their creative flow in an artistic way because we all have different functions and missions on this physical plane, but everyone is surely a talented artist within, whether they are aware of it or not in the first place. What is more, I believe that writing, like any other Art form, guides us in expressing, processing and integrating our emotions on the deepest level. Nevertheless, it is surely true that, when it comes to all the tools at our disposal to connect with our inner world and express our most intimate and vulnerable feelings, writing is one of the more emotionally demanding artistic endeavours, as it requires both great dedication and discipline, especially when it comes to writing a book.
You may already know that at least 70% of our behaviour (and thus, the overwhelming majority of both our thinking and our feelings, which end up defining our actions) is, in fact, engendered by subconscious patterns that rule our life on a permanent basis, and writing (or Art, in general) helps us bring them to the surface. One might ask: Why would we ever aspire to such inner “re-surfacing” work? Well, simply put, because this is what the magic of our human experience is all about.
Nowadays, there is an entire panoply of so-called spiritual books and retreats out there that tell us we are “infinite light” (which is undoubtedly true), but very few that actually focus on the fact that we all possess as much darkness as light within us. This is no far-fetched spiritual mumbo-jumbo; this is rocket science, for it can be easily demonstrated that all energies are always is perfect balance in this physical universe through the knowledge of both ancient, ancestral cultures and that of more modern Quantum Physics.
Indeed, accepting our darkness is the only way we can accept ourselves as we truly are; human beings. Nobody has ever taught us to be happy, sad, in love, angry or disappointed, and yet, whether we like it or not, these emotions seem to be inherent to the human condition. Art, including writing (whether it comes to books, poetry, songs or letters), can help us understand and embrace these emotions, and limit their usually tremendous fluctuations that we all suffer at some point or another. Only then will we be able to thrive in both our human and spiritual experience - as they are, in fact, one and the same.
I believe that, as human beings, we are all very similar in a sense, both to each other and to Mother Nature and the Universe as a whole; as much as we all are actually unique and utterly different from one another. Yet, most of us do not “have” (or take) the time to fully explore all the diversity life has to offer, because this is often considered as “inefficient” or useless, in the West. Instead, we are groomed by an erroneous societal model from a very young age so we can eventually pick a “suitable” career field, when we usually have not had the opportunity nor the necessary support to really delve into the passions that make our heart sing (which, by the way, might not necessarily be part of the classic school curriculum). What is more, we are socially expected to then stick with this occupation during our entire existence, so we can “climb up the social ladder”, or so we are taught by our comparison-prone, consumerist society (for making more money equals being able to buy more, and therefore being “better” or more “important” - than others, or than the “previous”, clearly inadequate, version of ourselves). No wonder most people wake up someday to bitterly realise, often too late, that they have been wasting their time ever since they first got caught up in this chicanery.
In effect, due to our biologically tribal disposition, we are easily conditioned to “follow the herd”, even if the herd is deceitful and delusional; leading by extraordinary example on how to lie to oneself (and therefore to others, and vice versa), so that we may spend our entire lifetime trying to find meaning by running on their hamster wheel, until we are so worn-down that we abandon the pursuit of meaning altogether. And yet, although we can linger in unresponsive limbo and all too easily distract ourselves nowadays, we cannot refute our fate for, eventually, we all have to face the ultimate truth regarding the inevitability of our physical death, which will often strike us with the same cosmic impact as a strike of lightning; out of the blue, startling to the marrow, and as sublime as it is terrifying.
For my part, I have always been inexorably drawn to choose an alternative path, and my antagonistic, exploratory tendencies had started long before I actually became aware of it. I have learnt, through my personal and collective evolution, how to celebrate and embrace my differences, instead of being scared of them. And yet, I have never felt like my divergence made me better or worse than anyone else, although it has definitely made me feel different all my life. In a way, it has taught me how to look for real, reciprocal and kindred connection, whether it comes to Mankind or Mother Earth in general.
This is probably the main reason why I have loved being a coach and a teacher, as much as my players and students have loved me in return. I may not have been the best in teacher or coach in the world, but I have inspired these people as much as they have inspired me through my most genuine intention to share the beautiful symbiosis between our congruent, yet distinct, experiences of learning and growing.
This is also the emotional process I have tried to assimilate throughout my own attempt to write a book.
After all, as we all are some kind of artist of our life master-piece, we are also some sort of scientist of our very own human and spiritual experiment. I believe that we do not have to dwell in extremes in order to find our own truth, but rather that the latter lies somewhere in between; in a magic, multifaceted mix of Art and Science, of systemic belonging and solitary ingenuity. This is probably the most important teaching that the Buddha ever tried to convey: every one of us is already a Buddha inside, and everything is a matter of balance in this physical universe. And, whether we believe in an after-life, in reincarnation or in just nothing at all, this present existence is precious, and we all are on a life-long quest to reconnect to the balance that suits us best and to become at peace with it.
On the other hand, we should not forget that, in spite of the uniqueness of our very own human experience, we also belong to a collective consciousness that links every single living organism of our planet Earth, and most probably far beyond. Do not get me wrong; I am not saying that these ideas are easy to apply in our daily lives, and I am myself still on my way. After all, I believe that we remain eternal students of the school of Life and of the Universe, and that we inevitably keep learning how to reconnect with the ultimate equilibrium between our body, mind and spirit until our last breath on this physical plane.
To be perfectly honest, I have had many resistances to overcome before I was finally able to publish my first book. First of all, I have always believed that art is an inherently intimate, personal practice. And being the energetical processing tool that it is, it is inevitably subjected to numerous emotional fluctuations; it can be a great invigorating experience, but it can feel like torment at times too. When we think of Art, our goal-oriented minds often tend to picture the result (a book, a painting,...) when, in reality, it is a perpetually ongoing, turbulent process. One day, we may feel like Da Vinci, and the other, we may feel like a fool for even attempting to pick up a brush (or a pen, or an instrument).
Furthermore, art is an expression of passion, and life is all about being passionate. This is probably why I have always been sceptical when it comes to marrying passion with profession (or profit), since I have hardly ever seen nor experienced a context in which these two get along without the profession overshadowing the passion at some stage. In fact, when I started writing this book, back in 2012, I always thought that I would be delighted enough to be its only reader some years later, just to be able to perceive how I would have evolved over the years. It is only in 2019, after 7 years and more than 2,000 hours of passionate involvement in the writing process (which I actually stopped counting long ago), that I eventually began feeling eager to publish and share my work with my fellow human beings. And it is only one year later, in August 2020, that I finally feel fully ready to embrace a subsequent stage of vulnerability, which, after all, is the foundation for all artistic stirring. I have found that, although Art is inherently soul-baring, the rawness of the process really hits home when one decides to take whatever one has given shape from the inside out, and let it go in our wide, wondrous world; for one can only hope that how one has connected with oneself can now serve to connect with one another.
Secondly, as part of my many initial resistances with regards to money and the current economic model, I used to think that, if I ever were to publish a book, it would have to be free and accessible to everyone. Yet, I then realised that, since everything is a matter of balance, the concept also applies to the principles of giving and receiving. Even though money is the ultimate symbol of materialism and consumerism, it also represents the intention and energy that is set upon our deeds. Money has never been and will never be a priority for me, but it does not mean that I can just blank it out from my existence, for the simple reason that, whether I like it or not, I am still part of the collective that uses it as a commodity.
However, I have never found much resonance in the saying: “We all need money to survive”, simply because I do not believe that our soul has chosen to be (re)born on this dimensional plane to merely “survive”. Also, I do not believe that money is the actual, adequate solution to survival, simply because there is so much more to being alive, and money is just the root of the massive amount of imbalance that we are exposed to in our daily lives. On the other hand, although I have always put an emphasis on the fact that the simple things in life are those that provide me with the greatest pleasures, and that I firmly believe in the concept of exchange of services, I do also have dreams and projects, some of which most probably will require money in one way or another. This is why I have tried to find a “middle way” and come up with what I think to be a fair, reasonable price, so that everyone who might feel called to may share a bit of my long voyage with me, whether it is in its geographical, emotional, philosophical or spiritual sense.
Interestingly enough, I now publish this book in the same financial situation as that in which my journey started nearly 8 years ago; without having any money to my name. And despite the fact that this has not always been my case throughout the last 8 years, for reasons that you may discover later, it could not make any more sense in the larger scheme of things. After all, money always comes and goes, which is surely one of the greatest lessons I have learnt through my quest.
And yet, I do honestly hope that this book becomes financially viable at some stage. Not only would it allow me to translate it into French and Spanish, and maybe into some other more exotic languages further on, but it would also give me the opportunity to start working on my other books (and the continuation of this story). After all, as David Mitchell wrote in his book Cloud Atlas, “a half-finished story is like a half-finished love affair”; which is definitely true in this case, because for me, writing these diaries has always been a way to connect with my love for Life.
Finally, I would like to mention that the choice of publishing this first book as an e-book is twofold. Of course, it is inevitably related to my lack of financial possibilities at the moment and, although this aspect of my life does not prevent me from being unconditionally happy in the meantime (as you will discover and explore in these pages), it does actually prevent me from publishing a paper version for now. Nevertheless, my motives are ecological as well, even if I do know that paper can be easily recycled nowadays, I have travelled too much not to be fully conscious of what human decadence and greed have done to Mother Nature. Nonetheless, I have to admit that I would love to have at least one paper version of this book for myself someday. I may use some of the money I might receive from this work to publish a sustainable paper version of it at some point, since I know a physical version of a book is more easily passed on to the ones we love, and the point of this book is all about sharing.
Thirdly, as I started putting all the pieces of this gigantic, cosmic puzzle together, I have inexorably gone through the doubtful stage of asking myself the question: “Who on Earth am I to actually write and publish a book?”
Well, nobody really. On the other hand, if everyone has to start somewhere somehow, why not me? After all, I do not think that Plato or Nietzsche were very well known before people started reading their ideas. Of course, I have chosen these names not because I would ever dare to compare myself to them, but rather because they merely assist me in illustrating my point. The concept of reputation is everything in our Western society and, sadly enough, people are usually not regarded, respected, or listened to because they are talented, but because they are already rich or famous; and my scepticism towards the workings of our society has engendered conflicting feelings for me when it comes to publishing this book, to say the least.
When I first started putting this book together, I even thought that I should maybe write it entirely in the third person singular, not only because it may sound more humble, but also because I had always been conditioned to believe that writing biographical work in the first person singular was a practice somehow reserved for already famous folks. On the other hand, I eventually decided to use the first person singular in this book anyway, for the simple reason that it is the way in which I obviously wrote my diary entries in my many travel journals along the way. And consequently, I felt like it was the most suitable approach to be fully emotionally authentic and honest with myself and with others, which takes us to the next point.
Fourthly and lastly, although sharing the deepest aspects of our lives with others is actually something very complex to do, I have always been intent on sharing my work as genuinely as possible. It would now be tricky to properly express what I mean without giving you too many hints about the upcoming pages and ruining the whole thing. Yet, I could have easily left out certain passages of this book, so that I would be less exposed and vulnerable to the readers' judgement, but I have chosen not to do so. I wanted this book to be as close as possible to what I had written in my journals. It would have been “faux” to do otherwise, for one of the most fundamental things that travelling the world has taught me is that we should always indulge in what we love without caring about others' judgement, at least as long as this is done with compassion and respect of course. Indeed, it is when we start doing and being what we really love that we can finally see who loves us for what we truly are and, whenever we judge others, we are merely seeing a reflection of the judgement that we set upon ourselves.
Of course, I have had to add some details and elaborate through the lengthy proofreading process, in order to provide some essential context to my story at times. Moreover, you may have already understood that almost 8 years separate the final proofreading work from the very first lines of my very first journal. As a result, I naturally added certain nuances throughout, so the many ideas I share with you would be in line with my evolution up until this point. I wanted this book to be an accurate, authentic representation of both who I was, what has happened to me along the way, and how these things have shaped me to become who I am today, which has led me to interweave the energies of unfolding events from the past, present and future, for them to come together as a coherent whole in the present moment.
Talking about my personal evolution, I cannot neglect to mention how the project of Teacher on the Road initially took shape. Indeed, at the start of my journey around the world, I called it a “project”, and conceived of it as such. My idea was to travel around the entire globe, exclusively overland and overseas, without using any money at all (except when it came to the inescapable, administrative nonsense of the border crossings and visas).
I chose to name this project “Teacher on the Road”, not only because I personally had been teaching most of my “adult” life until I started hitting the road towards some unknown Eastern horizons, but also and especially because I believe that we are all teachers and guides to one another on the Path of Life. After all, the things we learn from and share with each other in a lifetime are endless (and limitless), especially while travelling, and we do not need an “official” label to do so (or to do anything, for that matter).
I had already had a rather unconventional life until I spontaneously decided, in September 2012, to undertake a round-the-world journey overland without money. There were many factors, of course, that led me to this rather radical decision, but I will not go into the details here, for you can read all about them later on. Overall, I wanted to radically change my life and to prove myself that everything is possible as long as our intention is pure. So, I closed my bank account, set aside my last 400 Euros for the border crossings along the way, and set off with nothing more than my most essential possession on my back, a direction in mind and an indescribable longing in my heart for something “else”. Little did I know that, by going so far out of my comfort zone, magic and synchronicity would quickly fill the elemental space that familiarity and predictability had once occupied in my life. And this was only the beginning of a journey during which I would go through a myriad of different cycles in my very own quest for ultimate freedom. This is what we all do on this physical plane after all, whether we are aware of it or not.
During many years and cycles, I faithfully kept writing in my journals, and then ferociously typed out their content on my laptop, mainly in order to make sure I had a back-up of my many memories and musings. I initially thought that I might turn my writings into a book whenever I would finish my journey and so, for a long time, I had a routine of sorts that was merely about sustaining my status quo; I tried to keep up with my written diaries while I was on the go, and then digitalised their content whenever I settled down for a while.
However, plans always change – as I actually believe they are meant to-, and my voyage turned out to be much longer than I ever expected it to be in the first place. In fact, for 7 years, I was contently consumed with fulfilling my quest and enjoying the present moment by connecting with wonderful nature, people, cultures and events on my way. Which is why, in 2019, I eventually realised that my writing routine no longer made much sense; at that point, I had written about 2,000 pages (in Word format) since the beginning of my trip, which I would clearly never be able to turn into a single and coherent book, especially if I wanted it to be palatable and pleasurable to read.
Therefore, it is at that time that I decided to brave a brand-new, equally intrepid project; turning my initial writings into a first book, while actually keeping up with my diaries in the meantime too -for, until today, my journey is not over yet (and honestly, it might never be)-. In fact, the organising and proofreading of the first 550 pages of my writings (in my trusted Word format), while still travelling in the meantime, took me almost another year entirely, and as you can surely imagine, now being able to finally publish this book is therefore a very meaningful achievement, symbolising the realisation of an epic, eight-year cycle of my life.
Meanwhile, not only have I realised that writing a book entails being encumbered with an enormous amount of work, but also that writing 550 pages about my adventures represents the equivalent of some sort of life thesis, which is so tremendously more complex than anything I had ever attempted to conceive before, at least on the cognitive and literary level. I remember that I was so proud when I finished writing my Bachelor’s Degree thesis at University, which was approximately 60 pages long at the time. But this book is definitely something else all together, not only because it is so much longer, but mainly because nobody ever expected me to write it.
In fact, the very first time I ever conceived of writing a book someday was in New Zealand, in 2005, and so it will have taken me 15 years in total to fulfil this dream. The wait and occasional weariness have well been worth it; for when I was sidetracked, it was only to find things I never could have believed possible, and when I had to dig deep to find my patience, courage, dedication or resolve, it only made me appreciate the abundant beauty I encountered on the way, both on the inside and outside, all the more. I have felt like a doctor of the Unknown through the process, a doctor of my very own life experiment, and I could not be any prouder and more grateful to now share my findings with you.
In conclusion, beyond the geographical aspect of my voyage, and all the facts related to my adventures, this book depicts all the intense lessons that I had to learn in the meantime, and my emotional and spiritual development that ensued through the process. Consequently, this book is as much a travel diary as it is a treatise on societal, philosophical and metaphysical exploration, written from my own modest research and point-of-view, of course, but nonetheless through the unique lens of my varied and adventurous experience.
All in all, this is a book about embracing the essence of being human, about living with heart and soul, by exploring both the Science and the Spirit that shape our existence; two approaches that I have found not only to be compatible, but also utterly complementary.
As for the continuation of my adventures, both geographical and literary; I believe that once we set things in motion, whatever they may be, with the very best of intentions, the World has its (often surprising) ways of showing us where we are supposed to be heading next.
Furthermore, I surely want to seize this wonderful, long-awaited opportunity to thank all the people who have somehow supported me and contributed, directly or indirectly, to realise this dream of mine to publish a book someday, and later on this book in particular. I now dedicate it to them, as a tribute to both the time we have shared on the Road together, whether it was 5 minutes, 5 days, or 5 years, as well as to all that is yet to come.
After all, I believe that all events are intimately connected with one another on the energetical level, and every single encounter is a possibility to take a new quantum trajectory in the course of our existence. We may then seize it or not, but there is always a great lesson to learn through the process, and I know, deep-down, that I would have never been able to publish my work if I had not met all these beautiful souls along the way, whether it has been before, or during my long voyage around the planet.
Also, I want to take advantage of the occasion to say that, even though I have considered changing the names of all the characters I met along the way, in order to respect the fundamental rights of confidentially of these people, I have done so for just a few of them. After all, there are many people whom I know dearly, and I know they will be absolutely delighted to see their name appear in these pages at some stage. And, of course, there are many others that I did not get to know so well, and whom I have no way of contacting at present, due to the nature of my voyage. Therefore, to all whom it may concern; I know that I should have asked each and every one of you, personally, for the permission to use your name in my story, so I hope you will understand that my intention is pure and that you will forgive me if I have not.
With the subject of privacy in mind, I would also like to mention that I have selected the pictures in this book as meticulously as possible. I took all the photos that you will find in these pages myself (sometimes with a timer), with the Nikon D90 that I carried with me in the beginning of my quest. Again, some of the people in the pictures might never know their image is now part of this story, but in those cases, I distinctly remember just how happy they were to have their picture taken and to be part of my journey, which is why I believe they would be equally delighted to be part of its literary reconstruction somehow. Now, if you ever wonder why someone's photo is not there although it “should” be somehow, it is either because I did not have their picture (for sometimes, one actually gets completely caught up in the present moment and forgets all about taking pictures) or it has been a conscious choice of mine not to include it, for what could be a multitude of reasons that you may figure out throughout these pages. After all, everything always happens for a reason, whether we are aware of it or not in the first place.
As you can surely imagine, I have taken many pictures during my 8-year journey, and I must say that photography quickly became another passion of mine. After all, it is intrinsically compatible with the conscious choice to connect with the present moment and, consequently, the challenge and joy of taking pictures has become as intimately interwoven with my travelling lifestyle as the practice of writing. Of course, the photos in this book can hardly do the real pictures justice (if only due to their limited size). On the other hand, there is only so much a two dimensional, digital picture could ever reflect, no matter how stunning, when it comes to the memorable moments that enthralled me at these specific times. Nonetheless, I hope they will be able to make my story more vivid for you. One day, I would love to be able to publish a photo book with a selection of the most marvellous pictures of my voyage but, for the time being, I am more than happy to share some of them here, as an extension of the captivating story they captured.
Now, when it comes to my conceptual work, I would like to mention that, despite the fact that I am sharing many years of my personal research with you to frame the unfolding of my story, my intention for this book is in no way to present it as a work of personal research. As anyone walking this Earth, my ideas and convictions have been endlessly inspired by others, and they will surely continue to evolve in these naturally prolific, pollinated ways. I have included some quotes and the occasional passage from other people's publications, where I felt it would be useful to provide a better grasp on the evolution of my own train of thought. In fact, I have added a “Useful Resources” section at the end of the book, to give you an overview of all the artistic and scientific work that I mention specifically, as well as “Useful Glossary”, to simplify searching for specific scientific or spiritual concepts throughout for those of you who might want to explore them transversally.
On the other hand, although some of the conceptual or philosophical topics have surely been debated before, they belong to my very own open-minded perception of the world in the here and now, and I have tried to convey them to you in the way that feels most authentic to me. Then again, do not expect to be delivered answers to your questions on a silver plate; Not only because nobody has held my hand when I made the choice to change my life to explore the ways of the World (although there have been many people along my journey who have implicitly showed me the way somehow), but also and especially because I do believe that we all are to conduct our own critical and independent resarch in search for understanding of both the human and spiritual condition. Over time, I have come to understand that the Path of becoming more aware of the impact of our own feelings, thoughts, intentions and deeds, both on our inside and outside reality, is a path we must all walk alone. After all, no matter how universal this process may be to the human condition, its practical realisation is both emotional and experimental (and hence personal) in nature. All I can say is that, at a time when we have so many insightful resources at hand, ignorance is a choice. Regardless of our pursuit, we all have a choice in all aspects of our respective, unique walks of life - always; between inertia or intent.
And now that we are on the subject of how we each walk the walk, and talk the talk, in our own way; I would like to elaborate on my writing style, which I realise many of you will probably find rather formal, cumbersome or old-fashioned at times. Well, this is not just the way I am now; it is, in fact, how I have always been. My way of speaking is a little less formal than my way of writing (as it is the case for everyone), but not that much either really; indeed, even some of my friends used to tease me all the time for this very reason when I was younger. As a matter of fact, I have always loved English literature from the 1950s and 1960s, and I have always had a fancy for intricate works with a philosophical or fantastical tone. And as it is the case for anyone who learns a new language, my mastery of English was naturally influenced by my favourite authors, who mostly are from that generation: Aldous Huxley, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R Tolkien and Jack Kerouac (one of the rare American exceptions) -just to name a few-.
Additionally, when it comes to my personal style of writing, you may also notice that I often use the quote-unquote punctuation (“...”). As a writer (but not only), I believe that words have power, and each of them has a specific meaning and energy resonance for a reason. Nonetheless, it is essential to understand that languages are a man-made communication medium, and I have often found them limiting, especially when it comes to expressing feelings and soulful concepts. This is why I have not only used the quote-unquote punctuation to indicate my intention to use a phrase in a figurative or allegorical sense (as it is commonly the case), but also in order to soothe the underlying judgement that naturally accompanies certain of the words that we almost habitually use on a daily basis (for instance, with words such as “right” or “wrong”, or “good” and “evil”). Furthermore, I have also occasionally used capital letters for words that might not usually have them, to emphasise the idea that some of these words, in addition to their more conventional significance, are capable of conveying a more magnificent Meaning. The only advice I can give you is to try and feel my words rather than read them; for although I am bound to lexis and how I choose to wield it, as a writer, my purpose of writing these pages has always been to share my experience with you, not my thoughts.
Finally, I want to thank you for reading my words, both in general and thus far. I hope that I have been able to provide you with the necessary context, and most of all with the genuine keenness, to delve deeper into my Teacher on the Road adventure. Thank you, with all my heart and soul, for somehow sharing it with me, since you, dear Reader, are now also part of my journey and of its magical madness somehow. Then again, as Lewis Carroll so beautifully put it, I believe “we are all mad here”.
I hope that this book will encourage you to achieve your dreams and realise that everything is possible. Or at the very least, that it may inspire you to start seeing the world through the eyes of a Child; naturally curious, emotionally honest, exuberantly joyful, without any self-conscious or limiting beliefs, and with all the immense wisdom that these concepts naturally imply.
It is my hope that you may even see a reflection of yourself in these lines, even if your human experience is completely different from mine. After all, regardless of our respective beliefs, the same blood flows in our veins, and the same soul inhabits our body. You are me and I am you. We are One.
Nicolas Genna
Teacher on the Road
Instagram: teacherontheroad_
You may already know that at least 70% of our behaviour (and thus, the overwhelming majority of both our thinking and our feelings, which end up defining our actions) is, in fact, engendered by subconscious patterns that rule our life on a permanent basis, and writing (or Art, in general) helps us bring them to the surface. One might ask: Why would we ever aspire to such inner “re-surfacing” work? Well, simply put, because this is what the magic of our human experience is all about.
Nowadays, there is an entire panoply of so-called spiritual books and retreats out there that tell us we are “infinite light” (which is undoubtedly true), but very few that actually focus on the fact that we all possess as much darkness as light within us. This is no far-fetched spiritual mumbo-jumbo; this is rocket science, for it can be easily demonstrated that all energies are always is perfect balance in this physical universe through the knowledge of both ancient, ancestral cultures and that of more modern Quantum Physics.
Indeed, accepting our darkness is the only way we can accept ourselves as we truly are; human beings. Nobody has ever taught us to be happy, sad, in love, angry or disappointed, and yet, whether we like it or not, these emotions seem to be inherent to the human condition. Art, including writing (whether it comes to books, poetry, songs or letters), can help us understand and embrace these emotions, and limit their usually tremendous fluctuations that we all suffer at some point or another. Only then will we be able to thrive in both our human and spiritual experience - as they are, in fact, one and the same.
I believe that, as human beings, we are all very similar in a sense, both to each other and to Mother Nature and the Universe as a whole; as much as we all are actually unique and utterly different from one another. Yet, most of us do not “have” (or take) the time to fully explore all the diversity life has to offer, because this is often considered as “inefficient” or useless, in the West. Instead, we are groomed by an erroneous societal model from a very young age so we can eventually pick a “suitable” career field, when we usually have not had the opportunity nor the necessary support to really delve into the passions that make our heart sing (which, by the way, might not necessarily be part of the classic school curriculum). What is more, we are socially expected to then stick with this occupation during our entire existence, so we can “climb up the social ladder”, or so we are taught by our comparison-prone, consumerist society (for making more money equals being able to buy more, and therefore being “better” or more “important” - than others, or than the “previous”, clearly inadequate, version of ourselves). No wonder most people wake up someday to bitterly realise, often too late, that they have been wasting their time ever since they first got caught up in this chicanery.
In effect, due to our biologically tribal disposition, we are easily conditioned to “follow the herd”, even if the herd is deceitful and delusional; leading by extraordinary example on how to lie to oneself (and therefore to others, and vice versa), so that we may spend our entire lifetime trying to find meaning by running on their hamster wheel, until we are so worn-down that we abandon the pursuit of meaning altogether. And yet, although we can linger in unresponsive limbo and all too easily distract ourselves nowadays, we cannot refute our fate for, eventually, we all have to face the ultimate truth regarding the inevitability of our physical death, which will often strike us with the same cosmic impact as a strike of lightning; out of the blue, startling to the marrow, and as sublime as it is terrifying.
For my part, I have always been inexorably drawn to choose an alternative path, and my antagonistic, exploratory tendencies had started long before I actually became aware of it. I have learnt, through my personal and collective evolution, how to celebrate and embrace my differences, instead of being scared of them. And yet, I have never felt like my divergence made me better or worse than anyone else, although it has definitely made me feel different all my life. In a way, it has taught me how to look for real, reciprocal and kindred connection, whether it comes to Mankind or Mother Earth in general.
This is probably the main reason why I have loved being a coach and a teacher, as much as my players and students have loved me in return. I may not have been the best in teacher or coach in the world, but I have inspired these people as much as they have inspired me through my most genuine intention to share the beautiful symbiosis between our congruent, yet distinct, experiences of learning and growing.
This is also the emotional process I have tried to assimilate throughout my own attempt to write a book.
After all, as we all are some kind of artist of our life master-piece, we are also some sort of scientist of our very own human and spiritual experiment. I believe that we do not have to dwell in extremes in order to find our own truth, but rather that the latter lies somewhere in between; in a magic, multifaceted mix of Art and Science, of systemic belonging and solitary ingenuity. This is probably the most important teaching that the Buddha ever tried to convey: every one of us is already a Buddha inside, and everything is a matter of balance in this physical universe. And, whether we believe in an after-life, in reincarnation or in just nothing at all, this present existence is precious, and we all are on a life-long quest to reconnect to the balance that suits us best and to become at peace with it.
On the other hand, we should not forget that, in spite of the uniqueness of our very own human experience, we also belong to a collective consciousness that links every single living organism of our planet Earth, and most probably far beyond. Do not get me wrong; I am not saying that these ideas are easy to apply in our daily lives, and I am myself still on my way. After all, I believe that we remain eternal students of the school of Life and of the Universe, and that we inevitably keep learning how to reconnect with the ultimate equilibrium between our body, mind and spirit until our last breath on this physical plane.
To be perfectly honest, I have had many resistances to overcome before I was finally able to publish my first book. First of all, I have always believed that art is an inherently intimate, personal practice. And being the energetical processing tool that it is, it is inevitably subjected to numerous emotional fluctuations; it can be a great invigorating experience, but it can feel like torment at times too. When we think of Art, our goal-oriented minds often tend to picture the result (a book, a painting,...) when, in reality, it is a perpetually ongoing, turbulent process. One day, we may feel like Da Vinci, and the other, we may feel like a fool for even attempting to pick up a brush (or a pen, or an instrument).
Furthermore, art is an expression of passion, and life is all about being passionate. This is probably why I have always been sceptical when it comes to marrying passion with profession (or profit), since I have hardly ever seen nor experienced a context in which these two get along without the profession overshadowing the passion at some stage. In fact, when I started writing this book, back in 2012, I always thought that I would be delighted enough to be its only reader some years later, just to be able to perceive how I would have evolved over the years. It is only in 2019, after 7 years and more than 2,000 hours of passionate involvement in the writing process (which I actually stopped counting long ago), that I eventually began feeling eager to publish and share my work with my fellow human beings. And it is only one year later, in August 2020, that I finally feel fully ready to embrace a subsequent stage of vulnerability, which, after all, is the foundation for all artistic stirring. I have found that, although Art is inherently soul-baring, the rawness of the process really hits home when one decides to take whatever one has given shape from the inside out, and let it go in our wide, wondrous world; for one can only hope that how one has connected with oneself can now serve to connect with one another.
Secondly, as part of my many initial resistances with regards to money and the current economic model, I used to think that, if I ever were to publish a book, it would have to be free and accessible to everyone. Yet, I then realised that, since everything is a matter of balance, the concept also applies to the principles of giving and receiving. Even though money is the ultimate symbol of materialism and consumerism, it also represents the intention and energy that is set upon our deeds. Money has never been and will never be a priority for me, but it does not mean that I can just blank it out from my existence, for the simple reason that, whether I like it or not, I am still part of the collective that uses it as a commodity.
However, I have never found much resonance in the saying: “We all need money to survive”, simply because I do not believe that our soul has chosen to be (re)born on this dimensional plane to merely “survive”. Also, I do not believe that money is the actual, adequate solution to survival, simply because there is so much more to being alive, and money is just the root of the massive amount of imbalance that we are exposed to in our daily lives. On the other hand, although I have always put an emphasis on the fact that the simple things in life are those that provide me with the greatest pleasures, and that I firmly believe in the concept of exchange of services, I do also have dreams and projects, some of which most probably will require money in one way or another. This is why I have tried to find a “middle way” and come up with what I think to be a fair, reasonable price, so that everyone who might feel called to may share a bit of my long voyage with me, whether it is in its geographical, emotional, philosophical or spiritual sense.
Interestingly enough, I now publish this book in the same financial situation as that in which my journey started nearly 8 years ago; without having any money to my name. And despite the fact that this has not always been my case throughout the last 8 years, for reasons that you may discover later, it could not make any more sense in the larger scheme of things. After all, money always comes and goes, which is surely one of the greatest lessons I have learnt through my quest.
And yet, I do honestly hope that this book becomes financially viable at some stage. Not only would it allow me to translate it into French and Spanish, and maybe into some other more exotic languages further on, but it would also give me the opportunity to start working on my other books (and the continuation of this story). After all, as David Mitchell wrote in his book Cloud Atlas, “a half-finished story is like a half-finished love affair”; which is definitely true in this case, because for me, writing these diaries has always been a way to connect with my love for Life.
Finally, I would like to mention that the choice of publishing this first book as an e-book is twofold. Of course, it is inevitably related to my lack of financial possibilities at the moment and, although this aspect of my life does not prevent me from being unconditionally happy in the meantime (as you will discover and explore in these pages), it does actually prevent me from publishing a paper version for now. Nevertheless, my motives are ecological as well, even if I do know that paper can be easily recycled nowadays, I have travelled too much not to be fully conscious of what human decadence and greed have done to Mother Nature. Nonetheless, I have to admit that I would love to have at least one paper version of this book for myself someday. I may use some of the money I might receive from this work to publish a sustainable paper version of it at some point, since I know a physical version of a book is more easily passed on to the ones we love, and the point of this book is all about sharing.
Thirdly, as I started putting all the pieces of this gigantic, cosmic puzzle together, I have inexorably gone through the doubtful stage of asking myself the question: “Who on Earth am I to actually write and publish a book?”
Well, nobody really. On the other hand, if everyone has to start somewhere somehow, why not me? After all, I do not think that Plato or Nietzsche were very well known before people started reading their ideas. Of course, I have chosen these names not because I would ever dare to compare myself to them, but rather because they merely assist me in illustrating my point. The concept of reputation is everything in our Western society and, sadly enough, people are usually not regarded, respected, or listened to because they are talented, but because they are already rich or famous; and my scepticism towards the workings of our society has engendered conflicting feelings for me when it comes to publishing this book, to say the least.
When I first started putting this book together, I even thought that I should maybe write it entirely in the third person singular, not only because it may sound more humble, but also because I had always been conditioned to believe that writing biographical work in the first person singular was a practice somehow reserved for already famous folks. On the other hand, I eventually decided to use the first person singular in this book anyway, for the simple reason that it is the way in which I obviously wrote my diary entries in my many travel journals along the way. And consequently, I felt like it was the most suitable approach to be fully emotionally authentic and honest with myself and with others, which takes us to the next point.
Fourthly and lastly, although sharing the deepest aspects of our lives with others is actually something very complex to do, I have always been intent on sharing my work as genuinely as possible. It would now be tricky to properly express what I mean without giving you too many hints about the upcoming pages and ruining the whole thing. Yet, I could have easily left out certain passages of this book, so that I would be less exposed and vulnerable to the readers' judgement, but I have chosen not to do so. I wanted this book to be as close as possible to what I had written in my journals. It would have been “faux” to do otherwise, for one of the most fundamental things that travelling the world has taught me is that we should always indulge in what we love without caring about others' judgement, at least as long as this is done with compassion and respect of course. Indeed, it is when we start doing and being what we really love that we can finally see who loves us for what we truly are and, whenever we judge others, we are merely seeing a reflection of the judgement that we set upon ourselves.
Of course, I have had to add some details and elaborate through the lengthy proofreading process, in order to provide some essential context to my story at times. Moreover, you may have already understood that almost 8 years separate the final proofreading work from the very first lines of my very first journal. As a result, I naturally added certain nuances throughout, so the many ideas I share with you would be in line with my evolution up until this point. I wanted this book to be an accurate, authentic representation of both who I was, what has happened to me along the way, and how these things have shaped me to become who I am today, which has led me to interweave the energies of unfolding events from the past, present and future, for them to come together as a coherent whole in the present moment.
Talking about my personal evolution, I cannot neglect to mention how the project of Teacher on the Road initially took shape. Indeed, at the start of my journey around the world, I called it a “project”, and conceived of it as such. My idea was to travel around the entire globe, exclusively overland and overseas, without using any money at all (except when it came to the inescapable, administrative nonsense of the border crossings and visas).
I chose to name this project “Teacher on the Road”, not only because I personally had been teaching most of my “adult” life until I started hitting the road towards some unknown Eastern horizons, but also and especially because I believe that we are all teachers and guides to one another on the Path of Life. After all, the things we learn from and share with each other in a lifetime are endless (and limitless), especially while travelling, and we do not need an “official” label to do so (or to do anything, for that matter).
I had already had a rather unconventional life until I spontaneously decided, in September 2012, to undertake a round-the-world journey overland without money. There were many factors, of course, that led me to this rather radical decision, but I will not go into the details here, for you can read all about them later on. Overall, I wanted to radically change my life and to prove myself that everything is possible as long as our intention is pure. So, I closed my bank account, set aside my last 400 Euros for the border crossings along the way, and set off with nothing more than my most essential possession on my back, a direction in mind and an indescribable longing in my heart for something “else”. Little did I know that, by going so far out of my comfort zone, magic and synchronicity would quickly fill the elemental space that familiarity and predictability had once occupied in my life. And this was only the beginning of a journey during which I would go through a myriad of different cycles in my very own quest for ultimate freedom. This is what we all do on this physical plane after all, whether we are aware of it or not.
During many years and cycles, I faithfully kept writing in my journals, and then ferociously typed out their content on my laptop, mainly in order to make sure I had a back-up of my many memories and musings. I initially thought that I might turn my writings into a book whenever I would finish my journey and so, for a long time, I had a routine of sorts that was merely about sustaining my status quo; I tried to keep up with my written diaries while I was on the go, and then digitalised their content whenever I settled down for a while.
However, plans always change – as I actually believe they are meant to-, and my voyage turned out to be much longer than I ever expected it to be in the first place. In fact, for 7 years, I was contently consumed with fulfilling my quest and enjoying the present moment by connecting with wonderful nature, people, cultures and events on my way. Which is why, in 2019, I eventually realised that my writing routine no longer made much sense; at that point, I had written about 2,000 pages (in Word format) since the beginning of my trip, which I would clearly never be able to turn into a single and coherent book, especially if I wanted it to be palatable and pleasurable to read.
Therefore, it is at that time that I decided to brave a brand-new, equally intrepid project; turning my initial writings into a first book, while actually keeping up with my diaries in the meantime too -for, until today, my journey is not over yet (and honestly, it might never be)-. In fact, the organising and proofreading of the first 550 pages of my writings (in my trusted Word format), while still travelling in the meantime, took me almost another year entirely, and as you can surely imagine, now being able to finally publish this book is therefore a very meaningful achievement, symbolising the realisation of an epic, eight-year cycle of my life.
Meanwhile, not only have I realised that writing a book entails being encumbered with an enormous amount of work, but also that writing 550 pages about my adventures represents the equivalent of some sort of life thesis, which is so tremendously more complex than anything I had ever attempted to conceive before, at least on the cognitive and literary level. I remember that I was so proud when I finished writing my Bachelor’s Degree thesis at University, which was approximately 60 pages long at the time. But this book is definitely something else all together, not only because it is so much longer, but mainly because nobody ever expected me to write it.
In fact, the very first time I ever conceived of writing a book someday was in New Zealand, in 2005, and so it will have taken me 15 years in total to fulfil this dream. The wait and occasional weariness have well been worth it; for when I was sidetracked, it was only to find things I never could have believed possible, and when I had to dig deep to find my patience, courage, dedication or resolve, it only made me appreciate the abundant beauty I encountered on the way, both on the inside and outside, all the more. I have felt like a doctor of the Unknown through the process, a doctor of my very own life experiment, and I could not be any prouder and more grateful to now share my findings with you.
In conclusion, beyond the geographical aspect of my voyage, and all the facts related to my adventures, this book depicts all the intense lessons that I had to learn in the meantime, and my emotional and spiritual development that ensued through the process. Consequently, this book is as much a travel diary as it is a treatise on societal, philosophical and metaphysical exploration, written from my own modest research and point-of-view, of course, but nonetheless through the unique lens of my varied and adventurous experience.
All in all, this is a book about embracing the essence of being human, about living with heart and soul, by exploring both the Science and the Spirit that shape our existence; two approaches that I have found not only to be compatible, but also utterly complementary.
As for the continuation of my adventures, both geographical and literary; I believe that once we set things in motion, whatever they may be, with the very best of intentions, the World has its (often surprising) ways of showing us where we are supposed to be heading next.
Furthermore, I surely want to seize this wonderful, long-awaited opportunity to thank all the people who have somehow supported me and contributed, directly or indirectly, to realise this dream of mine to publish a book someday, and later on this book in particular. I now dedicate it to them, as a tribute to both the time we have shared on the Road together, whether it was 5 minutes, 5 days, or 5 years, as well as to all that is yet to come.
After all, I believe that all events are intimately connected with one another on the energetical level, and every single encounter is a possibility to take a new quantum trajectory in the course of our existence. We may then seize it or not, but there is always a great lesson to learn through the process, and I know, deep-down, that I would have never been able to publish my work if I had not met all these beautiful souls along the way, whether it has been before, or during my long voyage around the planet.
Also, I want to take advantage of the occasion to say that, even though I have considered changing the names of all the characters I met along the way, in order to respect the fundamental rights of confidentially of these people, I have done so for just a few of them. After all, there are many people whom I know dearly, and I know they will be absolutely delighted to see their name appear in these pages at some stage. And, of course, there are many others that I did not get to know so well, and whom I have no way of contacting at present, due to the nature of my voyage. Therefore, to all whom it may concern; I know that I should have asked each and every one of you, personally, for the permission to use your name in my story, so I hope you will understand that my intention is pure and that you will forgive me if I have not.
With the subject of privacy in mind, I would also like to mention that I have selected the pictures in this book as meticulously as possible. I took all the photos that you will find in these pages myself (sometimes with a timer), with the Nikon D90 that I carried with me in the beginning of my quest. Again, some of the people in the pictures might never know their image is now part of this story, but in those cases, I distinctly remember just how happy they were to have their picture taken and to be part of my journey, which is why I believe they would be equally delighted to be part of its literary reconstruction somehow. Now, if you ever wonder why someone's photo is not there although it “should” be somehow, it is either because I did not have their picture (for sometimes, one actually gets completely caught up in the present moment and forgets all about taking pictures) or it has been a conscious choice of mine not to include it, for what could be a multitude of reasons that you may figure out throughout these pages. After all, everything always happens for a reason, whether we are aware of it or not in the first place.
As you can surely imagine, I have taken many pictures during my 8-year journey, and I must say that photography quickly became another passion of mine. After all, it is intrinsically compatible with the conscious choice to connect with the present moment and, consequently, the challenge and joy of taking pictures has become as intimately interwoven with my travelling lifestyle as the practice of writing. Of course, the photos in this book can hardly do the real pictures justice (if only due to their limited size). On the other hand, there is only so much a two dimensional, digital picture could ever reflect, no matter how stunning, when it comes to the memorable moments that enthralled me at these specific times. Nonetheless, I hope they will be able to make my story more vivid for you. One day, I would love to be able to publish a photo book with a selection of the most marvellous pictures of my voyage but, for the time being, I am more than happy to share some of them here, as an extension of the captivating story they captured.
Now, when it comes to my conceptual work, I would like to mention that, despite the fact that I am sharing many years of my personal research with you to frame the unfolding of my story, my intention for this book is in no way to present it as a work of personal research. As anyone walking this Earth, my ideas and convictions have been endlessly inspired by others, and they will surely continue to evolve in these naturally prolific, pollinated ways. I have included some quotes and the occasional passage from other people's publications, where I felt it would be useful to provide a better grasp on the evolution of my own train of thought. In fact, I have added a “Useful Resources” section at the end of the book, to give you an overview of all the artistic and scientific work that I mention specifically, as well as “Useful Glossary”, to simplify searching for specific scientific or spiritual concepts throughout for those of you who might want to explore them transversally.
On the other hand, although some of the conceptual or philosophical topics have surely been debated before, they belong to my very own open-minded perception of the world in the here and now, and I have tried to convey them to you in the way that feels most authentic to me. Then again, do not expect to be delivered answers to your questions on a silver plate; Not only because nobody has held my hand when I made the choice to change my life to explore the ways of the World (although there have been many people along my journey who have implicitly showed me the way somehow), but also and especially because I do believe that we all are to conduct our own critical and independent resarch in search for understanding of both the human and spiritual condition. Over time, I have come to understand that the Path of becoming more aware of the impact of our own feelings, thoughts, intentions and deeds, both on our inside and outside reality, is a path we must all walk alone. After all, no matter how universal this process may be to the human condition, its practical realisation is both emotional and experimental (and hence personal) in nature. All I can say is that, at a time when we have so many insightful resources at hand, ignorance is a choice. Regardless of our pursuit, we all have a choice in all aspects of our respective, unique walks of life - always; between inertia or intent.
And now that we are on the subject of how we each walk the walk, and talk the talk, in our own way; I would like to elaborate on my writing style, which I realise many of you will probably find rather formal, cumbersome or old-fashioned at times. Well, this is not just the way I am now; it is, in fact, how I have always been. My way of speaking is a little less formal than my way of writing (as it is the case for everyone), but not that much either really; indeed, even some of my friends used to tease me all the time for this very reason when I was younger. As a matter of fact, I have always loved English literature from the 1950s and 1960s, and I have always had a fancy for intricate works with a philosophical or fantastical tone. And as it is the case for anyone who learns a new language, my mastery of English was naturally influenced by my favourite authors, who mostly are from that generation: Aldous Huxley, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R Tolkien and Jack Kerouac (one of the rare American exceptions) -just to name a few-.
Additionally, when it comes to my personal style of writing, you may also notice that I often use the quote-unquote punctuation (“...”). As a writer (but not only), I believe that words have power, and each of them has a specific meaning and energy resonance for a reason. Nonetheless, it is essential to understand that languages are a man-made communication medium, and I have often found them limiting, especially when it comes to expressing feelings and soulful concepts. This is why I have not only used the quote-unquote punctuation to indicate my intention to use a phrase in a figurative or allegorical sense (as it is commonly the case), but also in order to soothe the underlying judgement that naturally accompanies certain of the words that we almost habitually use on a daily basis (for instance, with words such as “right” or “wrong”, or “good” and “evil”). Furthermore, I have also occasionally used capital letters for words that might not usually have them, to emphasise the idea that some of these words, in addition to their more conventional significance, are capable of conveying a more magnificent Meaning. The only advice I can give you is to try and feel my words rather than read them; for although I am bound to lexis and how I choose to wield it, as a writer, my purpose of writing these pages has always been to share my experience with you, not my thoughts.
Finally, I want to thank you for reading my words, both in general and thus far. I hope that I have been able to provide you with the necessary context, and most of all with the genuine keenness, to delve deeper into my Teacher on the Road adventure. Thank you, with all my heart and soul, for somehow sharing it with me, since you, dear Reader, are now also part of my journey and of its magical madness somehow. Then again, as Lewis Carroll so beautifully put it, I believe “we are all mad here”.
I hope that this book will encourage you to achieve your dreams and realise that everything is possible. Or at the very least, that it may inspire you to start seeing the world through the eyes of a Child; naturally curious, emotionally honest, exuberantly joyful, without any self-conscious or limiting beliefs, and with all the immense wisdom that these concepts naturally imply.
It is my hope that you may even see a reflection of yourself in these lines, even if your human experience is completely different from mine. After all, regardless of our respective beliefs, the same blood flows in our veins, and the same soul inhabits our body. You are me and I am you. We are One.
Nicolas Genna
Teacher on the Road
Instagram: teacherontheroad_