Lessons from Northern Ireland.

Before embarking on my trip to Belfast I was told about some of the pitfalls associated with visiting the Northern half of Ireland which is actually part of the United Kingdom. In addition to the fact that Northern Ireland will likely leave the EU, it’s also cold, damp, rainy, and still in the midsts of an ongoing tension between the Catholics and Protestants. But none of this was enough to deter me from a 48 hour visit. Being born in a totally different country with its own set of ongoing issues, there was absolutely nothing that hinged me to any of these unfamiliar circumstances. After all, I am an outsider in every sense of the term.

What made this trip even more appealing was the twenty euro, round-trip bus ticket for a two hour transit from Dublin to Belfast. Europeans really know how to transfer people all over Europe through seemingly every type of transportation for a lot less than has ever been available in the U.S., at least in my lifetime anyway. But I digress. From the moment I got off the bus in Belfast, my body was struck with the distinct impression of just how much colder the Northern hemisphere of Ireland was compared to the chill I had only just begun to become acclimated to in Dublin.

One of the techniques I’ve used to combat these frigid temperatures has been to switch my Weather Channel App. settings to celsius instead of fahrenheit. I’ve discovered that since my brain doesn’t quite understand celsius it can’t accurately relay a message to the body of just how cold it truly is at any given moment. For example, during my first day in Belfast it was 3 degrees celsius which turns out to be 37 degrees fahrenheit; completely relatable. But by leaving my phone in celsius mode, my body spent the entire day only responding to what it was actually experiencing, temperature wise, rather than allowing my brain the privilege of over reacting to the idea of a frigid 37 degrees fahrenheit.

What’s funny is I’m starting to apply this little brain hack to everyday, practical circumstances. For instance, by not having a keen sense of what is being portrayed in the world by watching the daily news, I’m only responding to the way life truly is instead of the way several media outlets would have me believe it to be. Likewise, since my brain has never been inculcated by any conflict between religious ideologies I can easily peruse the plains of Northern Ireland without being caught up nor distracted by any of the local tensions.

To put it another way, you could also ask yourself, “What would I have to believe is true about my relationship to this issue in order to react to it in a negative way?” Then follow up by asking, “What would I prefer to believe is true,” and respond that way.

During one of my excursions to the countryside of Northern Ireland, I visited a beach during a torrential downpour with winds blowing in fiercely from the ocean side. Consequently, a man was walking his dog, and this little pup was happier than anyone could be in seemingly crummy weather. It appeared as though the dog was elated just to be outdoors, off leash, and free to run about in any direction his spirit inspired his little legs to travel. While watching this scene unfold, it dawned on me that no matter the circumstance or even evil intentions that could be flung at me in any given situation, the only effect I would derive from it will be a positive one. Because just like that dog on the beach we can see life as either happening to us or happening for us.

As I continue to post pictures from my various destinations throughout the island, the comments left behind on each post range from how wonderful other’s travels to Ireland were to how awful some found both the weather as well as the locals to be. So which point of view is the most accurate? Both. After all, the way we choose to see the world, people, or circumstances is the exact effect we will derive from it all. And every single one of us is always in command of our vessel and mind. So tend the garden of your thoughts carefully because what you reap you will undoubtedly sow.

During my own travels throughout this quaint European island, I have been met by some of the finest people throughout the land whose willingness to help me along my way continually renews my hope for humanity. And just like Gandhi’s famous admonition, it begins with me being the change I wish to see in the world. Because over time I have learned that whatever my heart radiates will surely find its way back to me. Or as my mom would always say, “Whatever you are seeking is also seeking you.”

And what I’m seeking in this life will never be the same as what someone desires. And that’s the beauty of the human condition. We all have the same basic dreams, fears, desires, and hopes for life and are free to pursue these exploits by any means available to us. It would also behoove us to do so by establishing harmonious relationships not only with one another but with our environment as well. After all, we are each fragments of a total organism called earth. Mankind didn’t weave the web of life, we are merely a strand in it. And whatever we do to the web we do to ourselves.

Love & Aloha,

Alexander Demetrius

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