In Time and Across the America

So it goes. Life, death, feelings, events, people and time. I will tell you about the travel through time and distance and how to experience it at home. You will need two books. "Slaughterhouse-Five or The Children's Crusade" by Kurt Vonnegut and "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac. Sit back and relax. Here we go.

When I picked Slaughterhouse-Five, I did it solely because it was a small book that could fit into my bag. The intention was to read it in metro. But after reading the first ten pages, the book was brought back and placed near the couch to be read only in the evenings. With this book, the size did not matter, what mattered was the contents. I read the azeri translation, it was not so bad. "So it goes", I learned. The story is told by an unknown person who through the main character Billy Pilgrim travels in time. Back and forth, back and forth. As if you are looking into kaleidoscope and you see the patterns, only not colours. Billy knows how he will die and does not care a bit because he can go back. Back to life, to his family and memories, but also, he goes back reluctantly to Dresden, to memories that are carved on his brain, irreversible. Dresden of the Second World War, Dresden after bombing, Dresden of sorrow. He has given up on life, but life hasn't given up on him. And so it goes... Lost soldier, lost soul, so lost that he sees the Tralfamadorians (aliens). I liked that word, it sticks. I liked the irony, I liked the satire. It was sad. Travelling back to the first the sentence of the book - "All this happened, more or less".

Stop travelling in time and indulge travelling across the America. From New York to West Coast and back and when you still are not satisfied travel from the North to Mexico City and back. The "beat generation" authors will want you to explore everything. From road maps to jalopies, from women to jails, from cars to friendship, from drugs to sex, from jazz to insanity. And this book leaves you with the "before and after" feelings. Kerouac as Sal Paradise is "on the road" for everything to see, eat, feel, live, risk. If I would choose a background music for "before" impressions, then it would be "Lady" by Modjo. But in the beginning of the book, I assumed it would be the "triangle affair". It turned out to be the "spotlight" thing. And the spotlights were all on Dean Moriarty, the hero of the book. All the way across the America, back and forth, Sal talks of Dean. Meanwhile, Dean is insanity itself! I could underline with a pencil (KKO) endless phrases and sentences that made sense, that inspired or even amazed me. However, I could not "underline" any of the characters in the book. You, yes you, might not agree with me. But I believe, Sal idolized Dean for no reason, unworthy. If you read this book, be prepared that the characters are high and get high from everything. There is plenty of drugs, alcohol, women and sex and a lot of JAZZ. The background music for the "after" impressions would be "Habits, stay high" by Tove Lo. The saddest part of the book was when the old man cried at the top of the stairs for his grandson was leaving him alone without bits of remorse. I felt sorry for him. The rest of the book - "feeling too high to feel sad".

To conclude with, I love travelling. But...not in time. Past and future have been hurting me anyways. I would travel across America, and down to Mexico City and Italy, and to everywhere. But...not for the search of insanity. I would, for the search of understanding and peace, the inner peace.