Alls Well That Ends Well

“The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one’s own country as a foreign land.” ~ G.K. Chesterton

Today is my last day in India. In a few hours I board a plane that will take me home. As when I arrived, I leave with mixed emotions: happy to head to the comfort of my familiar life in Michigan, sad to leave new friends, recent adventures, and the opportunity to continue exploring the vastness of India. I have been here for just 10 short weeks – in the scheme of things nothing more than a blink of an eye – but they have been a great 10 weeks that will have a profound effect on how I see the world. If past is truly prologue, then I know that some of the ways I’ve changed won’t reveal themselves to me for a few months and even a few years. Still, I’ve learned some new things along the way, challenged some old beliefs, and gained some new perspectives. Here are a few that come to mind:

I take a lot of things for granted. This experience has shown me that what we become depends in large part on where we start. My life has been shaped by forces that were in motion before I was born and have nothing to do with my choice, my interests, or my natural-born abilities. Much of what I have and much of the opportunities I have been fortunate enough to take advantage of were available to me because I was born a white male to two middle-class parents in one of the richest countries on earth. Don’t mistake me. I’m not saying this is wrong or unfair or bad. I'm not saying that I haven't worked hard or benefited from that work. But to deny that there was a strong foundation built for me upon which I worked is to deny simple fact. For example, at home I don’t obsess on a daily basis about clean water, hygienic food, or deadly diseases. Our advanced infrastructure allows me, instead, to obsess about other things, like when the next Rolling Stones album comes out, what the plot of the next Batman movie will be, or what to write for my next next blog post. India is on the road to matching our largesse, but I can’t help but wonder which is better. Either way, I hope I don’t forget how luxurious my life is in the states.

Electricity shaped my life. Think for a second about how important electricity is in your life. Think about all of the ways you use it: it powers every appliance in your house – your fridge, TV, washing machine, dryer, coffee machine (or espresso machine if you’re cool like that), and microwave. It fuels your gadgets, both the sedentary (desktop computer, wine chiller, etc.) and portable (smart phone, laptop, notebook, Kindle, etc.). Electricity supports your productivity and is the great enabler of your procrastination. It allows you to enjoy movies, milkshakes, and malls. Like me, you may not have realized how much you owe electricity for your personal, social, cultural, and professional development. It has helped you become you. Now, imagine that you grew up in a world without electricity. Who would you have become?

I love start-ups. I knew I loved start-ups already, but this summer helped cement the feeling. Simpa has been a great place to work. I’ve learned some great new skills (data tables! Internal rate of return calculations!), met some fantastic people, worked on challenging projects, slept on the couch for a few weeks, and got to impact a fast-growing start-up poised to change the world. It has only fueled my hunger to start my own company. Now all I need is a good idea…

 

Traveling is better with friends. I’ve traveled near and far in India and seen some incredible sites. On each trip I’ve had the pleasure of traveling with friends. Fortunately, I get to see most of them again in a few weeks. The others I plan to keep in touch with.

Life is boring without a challenge. I came to India for a lot of reasons, but the main reasons were the same ones that have driven me my entire adult life: to challenge myself to try new things, experience life by living it, and constantly work to gain new knowledge, meet new people, and try new experiences. The goal, of course, is to constantly renew myself. Living in India, being separated 8,000 miles from friends and family, and working for an early-stage start-up have all been, to borrow an Indian phrase, a maximum challenge. And I have loved every minute. I wouldn't give any of it up (well, maybe a day or two of diarrhea). It has been a fantastic journey filled with amazing sights, sounds, and people. 

One of my favorite quotes is, “What we obtain too lightly, we esteem too cheaply; ‘tis dearness only that gives everything its value.” If that is true, then my summer in India is as dear and as invaluable to me as any experience I’ve had so far. And that’s saying something.