October 18, 2002
Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
10am
Hey Cory,
So how much mail do you get like the crap you posted on the 17th...man, that stuff was ruthless...especially the one from the teacher...it kinda freaked me out...the way she wrote it all sweet and helpful but underneath was this seething "I hate you" just below the surface...man, it gave me the chills...talk about whats wrong with current educational system...Im sure she inspires alot of her students to follow their dreams...jeeez...i think people who are not trying to make the most out of their life cant stand to see other people who are...they see this guy who hasnt gone to college, dosnt have a job making lots of cash, not doing anything that society expects him to do, yet he's motivated, energetic and happy...and they're sitting in their house having played by all the rules, done everything that anyone ever told them to do...and they're miserable...and they think you must be miserable too...and they hate you for pretending your not...instead of trying to change their life, they try to change yours...im no psycologist, but there are some sick hurtin people floatin around out there...I have been reading your journals for years...i think pretty much from when you started your trip...its been wild to follow you on this journey...the things youve learned, the stuff ive learned from you...Ive done alot of stuff in the past couple of years...ive been white water kayaking in nepal, ive backpacked solo through the jungles of costa rica, etc...I would like to think I would have done these things had I not been reading your site...but I dont know...I remember reading, back in the day, when you were kayaking up a river with some friends...and this guy was being an ass, and so before you left you asked yourself what the superhero version of yourself would do...and so you wizzed on the guys shorts...ive gotta say that i often find myself asking, what would max do? No joke...and im a 29 year old medical resident...there is no way to know how many people you influence with what you do...
stay cool
John
John.... I just got up ten minutes ago, turned on the computer while pouring cereal, ate while the emails were down loading(my dad's computer is very slow), and your email was the only non-junk mail. The junk mail titles were: Hot Slutty Amateurs, How do you SQUASH the competition?,... etc... our world is fucked up... but most of the time I'm living in bliss. I do think a lot about world problems and that can bring me down, but I try to be in beauty and with kind people often, so my personal reality is great. I'm very happy. I don't really get that much hate mail, just those ones lately. Yeah, there are lots of unhappy people. I see them all the time, struggling through life.... in pain. And the media/industry feeds it with hot slutty amateurs and squashing competition. What about seeking a higher spirit? So many have lost touch with their spirit... and try to fill it with sex, status and stuff. The spirit in those hateful emails... yeah it scares me.
I don't need to finish my kayak journey or do another thing to impress anyone. In the Sea of Cortez I achieved what I set out to do; it was a feeling; I was surfing 20foot swell, scared, really scared, no one could save me if anything happened, I was ten miles from shore, but with a big smile on my face, I was on the edge baby... that kid in the high school library was now surfing 20 swells into the unknown. It was a moment of radiant personal glory... and so few experience it. Later, as I continued south past Mazatlan, the people treated me with so much respect-- I was an action hero. We all can be action heroes; it is in us. I liked what you said about "What would MAX do?" It is just like those bracelets that say: "What would Jesus do?" I don't buy into the Jesus save us stuff, I think God is in us, and I call it MAX. It's not me and look how great I am. It's just about getting the most out of life, having faith, being true to ones self.
I put tons of writing on my site that I know is questionable... and will hurt my "career" ... because schools don't want a freak talking to their students. It's hard, and my family doesn't like it either. But that's the point; I want to make people question reality and authority. I could get more sponsorship if I was main stream... but main stream is boring and my project would be empty. I write about what I'm thinking about, and truly there is lots I don't write about that would make great reading... like my relationships with ladies, and just stuff that could give me problems at the borders(a lot of people around here know me, including police and border guards, and they may check my site), so talking about the buds I found in the woods this weekend is not smart.
So reading your message made me happy. I'm glad you get it... because obviously some don't. I'm honored to be a part of your journey through life. Hopefully one day we will have an adventure together. I'm driving down through the states to Mexico in a month, where do you live?
I allow myself more freedom in writing email, and I'm busy, so lately I've been, as you know, telling my stories and thoughts through the emails. And I like to read and share different people's reflections on the project. 2000 people read my journal each week. I don't know who... but would like to...so... Thank you for taking the time to share your point of view. I'm going to add your mail to my journal; if that's not cool... Let me know.
Have fun!
MAX (Yeah baby... I'm feeling it... time to get to work!)
5pm. I'm laughing, honestly laughing, having just read the above. I'm glad Jake gets a kick out of it too, I just don't want him being rude to me. Who needs that?! He really inspired me back in junior high, he had a TV show; I think it was called 3DTV, not sure. I saw that, him up there so confident, making an ass of himself doing comedy, having a great time playing with his sidekick that I clearly recall wore a basketball on his head and acted like silly super hero and I thought I could do that. That’s what you did, Jake. You sparked a passion, you ignited my imagination. You threw pebbles into my pond. How many cliches do I need to use? I respect you dude. And your parents who do great work teaching the native people up north. And your brother Sam who impresses me weekly with his art work on the front page of here newspaper and his "art guild" initiatives that bring our community together.
