A New Life Journey

Change is never easy.

I am embarking on a new journey and change is inevitable. For most, this little journey would not even cause a bit of stress. But for me, who regularly falls into the trap of small securities, even a small trip for a month seems like a massive move.

So I jumped into something I normally never do, and booked a month and a half trip to visit someone a 1000km or so away from everything and everyone I know.

Because, why not? Life is short, I have the free time now, and doing remote research for my Ph.D., I have the luxury of doing it.

But still, having done the same thing in the same way over and over again for five or so years, I am on the cusp of diving into the deep end.

And in this moment of traveling and packing, trying to travel light weight and a bit of stress, a little bit of philosophy and fermentation popped into my head:

Discarding everything that is not needed is so important to a proper fermentation and a proper philosophy that leads to a philosophical way of living.

Discarding What Is Not Needed

Every week or so, you discard half of your sourdough starter. It is dead material that cannot be seen as food for the living bacteria.

The philosopher sits in her library and sees all the books she has read throughout the years. A small thin book hidden between big voluminous annals was foundational to her knowledge building but seems useless now. She keeps it there because of sentiment or whatever other reason.

But in both situations, the old that served a very important purpose and which could not have happened without, seems to drag one behind by now.

Let me explain.

In a sourdough starter, there is limited space. The container is only so big. Making it bigger is not an option because it will also mean more sediment and more dead material.

In a philosophical library, there is also limited space. The building or room or bookshelf is only so big. Making it bigger will also just make the dead space bigger.

So one needs to discard and get rid of what is not needed.

In both cases, when one takes away what is not needed, what remains is an empty space ready to be filled with things that might serve as new food or nutrients and so on. By necessity, this space might also be filled with nasties that want to take over, but one hopes that the initial bacteria/philosophy is strong enough to kill and neutralize the bad and undesired bacteria/philosophy.

The Importance of Clearing Away

I am on the cusp of a big travel vacation.

I got rid of all the non-essentials.

I packed enough clothes in the 3-rule: one I am wearing, one for the bag, and one in the wash. I got my camera and favorite lens, my chargers, and my laptop. Some reading material.

Essentially, I got rid of all that was not needed, I made space in my metaphorical library, and I cleared all the dead sourdough material.

Now, I am empty. But only for a small while. Just for a brief momentary pause. To take in the fresh air. To take that first step into the unknown.

To take that first step to get onto the airplane so that I can fill my cup with new flour, to add more books to my philosophical library...