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The Rucksack Revolution Continues…
Ten years ago I was faced with a neurological condition that made living in contemporary society a bit of a challenge – and a crisis of faith that caused me to expand the borders of my belief. So I took up the mantle of Jack Kerouac and travelled the country in the hope of igniting what he referred to in The Dharma Bums as “The Rucksack Revolution.” My particular journey, suitably titled The Rucksack Letters, involved a lot of soul searching throughout the 26 states I visited and the communes, monastaries, and cities that served as respites along my path.
Image by Bob Jagendorf
Last year, Aaron Heidemann took a similar journey in search of the American Dream, along with a number of other young dreamers taking to the road in order to “find themselves.” Earlier this year, J.W. Frye rode his bicycle from Key West to Alaska to raise money and awareness for Hospice. Now, John Caruso and Miranda Massey are starting on their own journey.
Leaving Sarasota, Florida on November 7, 2011, the two explorers are riding their bicycles to California, using the tools of digital video and social media to allow others to vicariously take the journey with them. In part, the trek is about exploring alternative lifestyles and the foundations of community, but it is also about spreading a message of peace, hope, and love to a world that is clamoring for it.
The trip was planned over a year ago by Miranda, an adventurous spirit who simply longs to live the extraordinary life she was destined for. When he heard about the opportunity a month ago, John, who has been crafting his life as one of awareness and light since surviving a brutal car accident a few years ago, knew that it was an opportunity he could not pass up.
When Kerouac wrote about The Rucksack Revolution 50 years ago, he described it as “a world of rucksack wanderers, Dharma Bums refusing to subscribe to the general demand that they consume production and therefore have to work for the privilege of consuming, all that crap they didn’t really want anyway such as refrigerators, TV sets, cars, at least new fancy cars, certain hair oils and deodorants and general junk you finally always see a week later in the garbage anyway, all of them imprisoned in a system of work, produce, consume, work, produce, consume, I see a vision of a great rucksack revolution thousands or even millions of young Americans wandering around with rucksacks, going up to mountains to pray, making children laugh and old men glad, making young girls happy and old girls happier, all of ‘em Zen Lunatics who go about writing poems that happen to appear in their heads for no reason and also being kind and also by strange unexpected acts keep giving visions of eternal freedom to everybody and to all living creatures…”
I wonder if Jack realized that the vision he had would be manifested at a time when the Occupy movement was giving people the solidarity to stand against corporate greed and people around the world are searching for the joy of living simply. Although the handful of people mentioned here may not constitute the millions that he dreamed of, it is apparent that the vision is gaining a foothold in mainstream consciousness, and I’m sure he would be delighted to see the next wave of rucksack wanderers carry his desire to the shore.
If you would like to be a part of John and Miranda’s journey, check them out here.
Steve
Steve McAllister, newly appointed “Lifestyle Guru” of Modern Hippie Mag, describes himself as a Renaissance Man. An author, filmmaker, songwriter, and perpetual artistic experimenter, he has recently re-released his second book The Rucksack Letters into paperback to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the journey. His latest book, a comical foray into philosophical science fiction, is How to Survive an Estralarian Mind Meld. His latest artistic project is The Labyrinth of the Unbroken Path. Connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube.
The Rucksack Revolution Continues… is a post from: Modern Hippie Mag
Modern Hippie Mag is an online resource dedicated to promoting hip, healthy conscious living and environmental sustainability. Featuring engaging articles, podcast interviews and video features, Modern Hippie Mag is “Where it’s hip to BE!”
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