Ya'an, China, 2006. The joy of being far away from everything.
This text was first written back in 2002 in order to provide Autostop Argentina (our nationwide hitch-hiker's network) with an identity and conceptual basis. Now, ten years later, we share it in English, wishing you blissful roads and blitz of inspiration for your own journey.
A HITCH-HIKER'S MANIFIESTO – by Juan Pablo Villarino
Walking through Wayuu territory. La Guajira, Colombia. 2010
Thos of us who 've been long on the road believe that being a hitch-hiker goes far beyond thumbing your way around the world, it means
something more than backpacking and enjoying the road….
We believe…
…that human nature admits more possibilities than a
diploma or a job. Nowadays, our society considers people little more than
specialized tools.
Efficiency and productivity are prevailing values.
Facing this reality, we propose ourselves to appreciate knowledge and experience
as values, and travelling as an privileged mean of access to them
…that a society conformed by people
obsessed with self-sufficiency, who would never ask anyone what time it is, can be
considered as part of a farm full of paranoid people, potential alarms and
pain-killer consumers. When you hitch-hike, you restore human contact, that
bashful flame…
…that to be responsible is to realize that we only
live once. We live day by day and an future decent pension does not
justify a youth of a senior citizen.... Being responsible does not only mean to assume
duties but to get ready to assume our freedom.
There's no need to tie ourselves up
to trivial things which are completely alien to us. Our culture teachs us to buy material things in order to impact briefly in people we know scarcely.
Nobody is old, except those
people who act their age the way they are expected to.
The world is not a static
place. It is a tangle of ways and roads
where thousands of people walk everyday crossing borders, wading rivers or
climbing mountains.
This world is still a good
place to live. People living in this world share something stronger and deeper
than their differences, no matter their race, religion or profession. These
people are essentially good.
We believe that the universe
takes care of us and a 12 hours working shift is even more dangerous than hitch-hiking.
Cities are definitely more dangerous than any road, mountain or lake.
When we travel, money is an optional
item of our luggage. Nobody eats money and it is not the only way to achieve
things. Human relations are far from merely
commercial.
A timely smile can be of
great worth…
All travellers can learn
from each other. Nobody is born wise.
The wind blowing in our
faces can be a good vaccine against routine.
We must claim simplicity
because it is closer to us, just like homemade bread as lunch by the roadside.
Yes, it’s more attuned to our essence than a mortgage or paid holidays.
Our goal is just an excuse
to thrust our destiny to chance. We should expose ourselves to unexpected
stops, hidden towns and thousands of intermediate possibilities, converting
every dot of the map into an anecdote.
Every car that stops is a
good opportunity to start over again. When we travel both our life and the universe
reconstruct themselves daily.
We
believe that the road is life (Jack Kerouac 1922-1967)
Saving money is not the main
goal of hitchhiking. By htch-hiking we
learn about the lands we walk, about their people and their traditions.
A roadmap is incredibly more
exciting than TV shows.
Constant
happiness is the hidden shape of death (Julio
Cortazar 1914-1984)
If you have already read all
this text, you should start thinking about your own trip around the world.
While you are preparing for that, you can find ideas in our blog or inspirationin our books.
Fundamentally, we love the
road!
Mochima, Venezuela. 2011
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Remember, you can order my e-book
“Vagabonding in the Axis of Evil – By thumb in Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan” with
just one clic. Learn more here.
I solemnly promise the book will envelope
you as a magic carpet bound for remote lands. Thanks for sharing the message of
a more hospitable world!
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