Is The Exotic Escapism?

Seeking the exotic can lead to conflict because we carry our internal realities wherever we go. When we treat unfamiliar cultures or novel experiences merely as an exit strategy from our daily lives, we miss their true value as our everyday teacher.

Instead of truly engaging with the world, we romanticise it as a temporary distraction. We see this at spiritual retreats where students focus on the guru, the rituals and their position of “Has the guru noticed me?” rather than on one another.

Dare I say this … it is completely natural to feel a sense of ‘yuck’ or discomfort when observing such adoration playing out. This reaction comes from witnessing a deep clash between fantasy and reality, especially when human beings or cultures are treated as mere props for someone else’s emotional comfort.

Ultimately, looking at foreign cultures or aesthetics simply as tools to block out real-world responsibilities – of ompassion and altruism – often turns those places into empty backdrops rather than meaningful experiences.

When the illusion of the exotic escape cracks, it exposes a lot of superficiality, which is precisely why it triggers that immediate sense of distaste.

This is also our teacher – our wrathful teacher. 🙂