How hack the world: free yourself and travel!

In a previous article I said how much culture helps us to understand the world through pre-built ideas. But I said also all the problems that means, as hold our opinion on prejudices. Yes, sometimes the culture gets in the way. Then we have to question it, which is good, because that makes culture more dynamic.


Personally, my interest for cultural diversity had taken me to many places. It is which makes me understand how cultural models give us sense, but also limit us. Starting with me, I had to broken many "rules" and assumptions of my own culture just to travel (as is expensive, dangerous, unsafe, you need to speak many languages, you will be alone, what about your career, etc). But once I did it, I realize that is a constant exercise to question and test what you know about life. I also realize I wasn't the only one walking that route. There was a whole culture of people out there doing the same. They are the hackers, and no, you haven't to be a computer scientist to be one.

I had to use every trick to save some money!. Finantial distric Singapore.

How to go around the world and forget about money.

The first thing I though, -as middle-class latin-american I am (things have to be said, to travel around the world being from a developing country is much harder than do it from a developed one, but not impossible if you really want it)- was that is a dream, if not impossible, at least very expensive and then I stopped dreaming. And that is what the most of people does. Assume that it will be expensive and postpone it until they get enough money - if they get it - or just shut off their heads and stop to think about it. We are probably used to assume that awesome things are expensive, but...Have you ever done the homework and gotten an idea of how much could cost? It is time to start to use our heads and let the money takes a step outside. Don't use it as excuse to NOT to do the things you want.

Starbucks around the world: I used them for power, wifi, toilet and air conditioning for free. I actually never  bought a coffee.

If we think about it, we use money to avoid to get involved with people. As my fellow said here, the economic issue is an human issue. So, money works as a relation exchanger, but we are able to have those relationships directly, if you know where to look.

Internet is very useful for such a things. Social networks aren't just places where you upload pics of you getting drunk on parties or actually traveling. Also, it is plenty of travelers communities, where you can get a lot of info about how to travel nice and cheap (safe and sound if you are concern). It is also a fare trade system for rides and local accommodation. Sites as couchsurfing and share-your-ride, can get you a place to sleep, a ride, a local guide and probably a new friend.

Traveler's communities are very important. I've known mates traveling months thought many countries with a ridiculous budget. There's even some who are trying to beat their own record (as 3 months in Asia with just 100 USD). The trick is use your head and daring. You won't loose nothing trying. Definitely, you'll earn something moving you out of your comfort zone.

How to hack the time: Workers and entrepreuners

It isn't just for travelers (Did you pay for the all-inclusive package, safe and scheduled?, sorry but you are a plane tourist), is for everyone who is able to question assumptions (in fact, when you are a foreigner, you are often more likely to question systems, because you lack of pre-build concepts that locals have, take advantage of that feeling) It could be done -and is done- by both employees and employers.

May be you have the money to travel, but you lack time. Tim Ferry's in his famous book "4 Hours Work Week" propose us some fun exercises to free our mind and time, (or just be more productive if you wish) whatever you are a worker or an entrepreneur (creative entrepreneurs that want to improve the world, be very welcome. While you exploitative employers, get out of here!).

According Tim, the key is think different and do the DEAL (Define, Eliminate, Automate, Liberate) Most people just don't dream their life, they don't know what exactly they want. They don't define and just follow some given cultural models, given life styles. His invitation is to design and define our own life style, taking immediate action, no excuses are allowed. You must to think how to reach your goals in life. Not just thinking in money measures, but also how to get it when is need it. More money doesn't mean work harder. Be hard worker is overrated, the important thing is be productive, which is do the same in less time. Time is the currency to pay for your dreams. With enough time we set us free to enjoy life as we want to. BUT! only if we have defined our dreams first. Otherwise we'll just waste your time on unnecessary things.


That is why is important to eliminate. Stop to doing unproductive and inefficient things. Things that only get us away from our dreams. In this case the key is analyze which things bring us the least of benefits and the most of our problems and time wasting. Then, just cut it off!. It isn't a easy thing to do, it's against our conservative and cumulative instincts. We even feel attached with the things and customs that we have even if they aren't good for us. To be more efficient with our time we must do the important in life, such things we avoid to do maybe because we are afraid to fail. So we procrastinate and get busy with unimportant things. A good idea could be ask for professional help or a friend who knows more about something you want to do. Often you get things done much more cheaper and better. Automatization is about that. Don't waste you life, is just one. Get things done! Specialize in that you are good.

Finally, set you free!, not just mentally, but physically as well. Big game, dream global. Big goals are often easier than do it mediocre, because two reasons: 1) mediocre goals with mediocre rewards often means mediocre effort, while awesome goals and amazing reward.... you know what I mean. 2) There is too much competence for possible goals, go for the impossible. Be global, take advantage of hour differences, money exchange rates, system differences, twist the systems. For instance, there was some entrepreneurs who always complain about how hard is start and operate a business in Latin America because the bureaucracy, and the easy that is for foreign companies operate in their countries because policies to attract foreign investment. Then, the decide to twist the world system, they started their company in foreign countries with less bureaucracy and cost and started to operate that "foreign company" in their own country taking advantage of those policies. They started to defeat an unfair system.

Another example is Pete, a canadian who get retired at his 30's. He did it with a financial home total plan. His secret was have a simple life, learning to enjoy simple things in life. He successfully avoided to fall into the illusion of advertising world and resisting the pressure of a consumerist society, but after all, enjoying life. He turn  that life into a saving plan with goals (because saving without goals of how to spend that money is be stingy), now he travel the world very relaxed (here his blog). There are many other examples of people that question their assumptions and culture (as consumerism).

That's right, we cannot live without culture, but it doesn't mean we aren't able to fix it or change it to make it more dynamic. That is what hacker culture is about. As former minister of culture of Brazil- and hacker- Gilberto Gil has said: "hackers create, innovate, solve problems and practice the organization of mutual and voluntary help".

I was 24 when I started my trip around the world. With 26 I came back home and I closed the circle. Now, with the same 26 I think it was a hug to the world to try to measure it, to get to know if all those stories, that I've heard, were true. I think I should do it again, several times! I still wishing that uncomfortable feeling when you do new thing for first time, sweaty hands and laughing so hard when I made a mistake. Get out of comfort zone, make life worth be living. Are you ready for that? Do you think hacker culture is for you?

Viajeros Hacker teaser 1 William Wallace from Pippo Ramos on Vimeo.

PD: If you are interested to know how I did to travel for cheap and know more hacker culture, keep following the blog, I hope soon I'll be able to lunch the documentary about all those hacker-travelers I meet just to show you how to be one.

Sources

http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2011/08/what-is-debt-%E2%80%93-an-interview-with-economic-anthropologist-david-graeber.html

http://www.lanacion.com.ar/810005-el-ministro-de-cultura-de-brasil-defiende-la-etica-hacker

Tim Ferrys, 2009, 4 Hours Work Week

Analysing culture: Respect

Ethnocentrism: Issues for a (cientific) analysis of culture

Studying cultures as "a particular collective mind set of a particular social group", has an issue. If each person belong to a culture, their own mind set, so does the person who is studying cultures. That means you could try to measuring other culture with your own cultural values, and that wouldn't be objective neither cientific. Measure cultures with your own cultural values doesn't help you to understand others, because different cultures have different goals in life. Doing that, you only get an obvious and selfish conclusion: your culture is the best and you are the best person under your own rules! That has no sense and is called ethnocentrism.

Ethnocentrism is not only for those who research cultures, that happen too with everyone who has to face others cultures. In some sense, ethnocentrism is useful to keep coherency with your own culture (if people don't feel comfotable in their own culture, there is a problem, right?). But too much ethnocentrism conduce to racism and xenophobia. But often just give us more simple problems or tons of headache. As happened with WHO (World Health Organization), when they tried to vaccinate african people for first time. African parents avoided vaccinate their sons because bacteria and virus weren't part of their cultural explanation of illness and disease. Furthermore they who had done it, had experienced fever and other symptoms. Even some thought that whites were trying to kill them. Ethnocentrism made that WHO thinks western medicine had the same status in Africa than within western societies as European, Australian or USA. While africans response was rational - because in their experience nothing good had come from white people- WHO blamed unrational response and ignorance. Result: Failure. A failure that could be avoid from cultural relativism perspective.

Cultural relativism

One solution is given by historic particularism. Following this thought- basis of culturalism-, the key concept is cultural relativism. That means to analyze a culture we have to do it in their own frame, considering all their elements and how their interact. Each culture has their own context and history and it cannot be compare with others without pay attention to this frame. Every culture can only be interpreted in their own context that allow us to a cientific approach and reduce (but not delete) researcher bias.

In that way we can explain why !Kung in subsaharian Africa still practice "hunting and gathering" despite know agricultural technics. If we put their economy in their context (environment) we can see that Kalahari desert is not a place for agriculture. Following Howell and Lee calculations, to get the health and diet that !Kung already have, they only must work 3 hours per day while their agricultural neighbors have to do it for 10 hours and  have worse health. Who is more efficient? However Namibia and Botswana governments have put pressure to make them change their lifestyle and making them work more, forcing to adopt agriculture and cattle farming. Today !Kung have to face poverty and social issues.

Relativism problems

In many regions in Africa and Asia there is a islamic branch that used to practice female circumcision, which is clitoris mutilation when women reach adult age (that could be 12 years old). This means women have to face this painful tradition because the social beliefs of clitoris is a masculine feature that has to be eliminated. Just because is a cultural practice, their practioners accuse their detractor to be ethnocentric and defend their position basis on culture, despite the brutal torture.

Another example was south african apartheid. Where M.W. Eiselen used cultural relativism to justify social segregation between whites and blacks. His position was apartheid (segregation) protects cultural identity and integrity of africans cultures, where weren't desirable their westernization, because could cause social desintegration.

Does relativism applies to those situations?

Possible dilema solution

First we have to understand cultural relativism is an analysis tool to get a deeper understanding inside a context but not justify any practice just because is a cultural traditions. Often happens that after an analysis we get a contradiction. And that is what happen in the first case. Women are not agree but they cannot avoid it because they live in a masculine culture and have no power to change it. Nevertheless some changes have come. Same happen in the second case, when apartheid was abolished.

Justify hastily and without context a practice just because belong to a cultural tradition is bad as ethnocentrism and is not cultural relativism but moral relativism. Culture allows human adaptation because is dinamic, change across the time. That means is no argument to defend any behavior, but as a system, as a context. Cultural relativism doesn't forbid us to get an opinion, after deep analysis, and want some change.

Ferraro y Andriatta, 2010, Cultural Anthropology: An Applied Perspective.
Harris M. Cultural Anthropology
Kuper A. 2001, Culture: Anthropologist' Account