Four on the Floor and a Fifth Under the Seat

we have this incredible technology…

..like a brand new car. we are really excited by it. but we leave it in the driveway because we are always working on it. we want to put new rims on. upgrade the speakers, soup up the engine, new shocks, new this, new that…if we take it out, we take it only to the gas station, to the grocery store…we don’t take it across the country to the ocean, we don’t take it to the mountains, we don’t take it to where people speak different languages, we stick to the neighborhood.

forget the upgrades. love the car as it is. remember what it is for….freedom.

where do you want to go?

go!

let creativity drive it.

don’t let the garage man, the mechanic dominate your life.

“if you take it there it will be hard on the shocks, if you take it to the ocean the salt air will be hard on the finish, if you take it to another country the dust and bad drivers will smash you up. be afraid. stay close to home.”

drive.

drive and let your students drive. bang your foot on the imaginary brake, if you have to, as you ride shotgun on the trip. They might not go to the tourist spots. they might be focused on a surf shop, or a swimming hole near a waterfall, or a place where they play soccer with a ball made out of discarded rags tied together in knots.

letting them drive is the ultimate subversive activity. watch for smokey. get on your cb. give yourself a handle. communicate with other like minded travelers. be careful at the borders. slide yourself into the drivers seat as you approach. give them a good story, then leave them in the dust as you motor deep into the new country.

drive! travel! go!

don’t wait for the person who poses as the tour guide to show up. he is a stranger in this place too.

use your wits. travel light. travel with others if you can. explore.

pete