I was always under the impression that a neurotic person was someone who was schizophrenic or mentally unbalanced.  It wasn’t until recently that I discovered that neuroticism is the degree to which we as humans worry about things that affect our lives.  New Yorkers have got to set the bar very high and In some ways I can run with the best of them.  I am very concerned with what time I get up in the morning; how much I pray, what days I shave, how many showers I take during the day; THE CLOTHES I WEAR; what time I leave my apartment; running to catch the next train; studying on the train; running to get the next train; making it to the gym with enough time to do my workout plan for that day; taking another shower; running to school to make it on time; being prepared in class; making sure that my grades don’t slip; how my stocks are performing; how my business is going; how my relationship is going; how my finances are going; how my life is going.  And all of that is before I even touch a morsel of food.  So I guess that I can be a little neurotic.

Basho was the antithesis of the neurotic New Yorker.  In the “Narrow Road of the Interior,” he exudes a zen-like calm and peace that is focused on exploration and “to be a vagrant cloud scudding before the wind.”  This little cloud, having no will of it’s own, but willing to be careened by the forces of nature.  As he left for his journey he dispatched with all of his worldly possessions and even the going away gifts from his friends, which he carried in his pack was the biggest burden to him.  He “resolved to hope for the best and be merely content to return alive.”

Throughout his travel log he chronicles the places that he sees, the natural beauty and wonder of the landscape and the families that he encounters.  The trip is not fraught with danger or calamity, but with peace – as Basho recounts it.  His is a journey of tranquility.

At times I do wonder if I could ever be as tranquil and “zen-like” as Basho.  Could I ever really not concern myself with my life and those things that I think are important?  Could I ever not worry about my grades or my finances?  Could I take in ease not having the prospect of employment?  Could I?  Well, that is just another thing that I have to worry about.