Escape from freedom
I’m checking out tomorrow, going back to the old town part of Chiang Mai, where I usually stay when I’m here.
It feels like a relief. Not that there’s anything wrong with the current location. The hotel is great, and there are plenty of fantastic cafés, bars, and restaurants.
It’s actually that last part that’s the “problem”. It becomes too much for me to handle. There are too many options, too many impressions.
I get overwhelmed and exhausted. Not only when traveling. It’s the same thing with apps, streaming services, stores, blogging platforms, recommendation tools...
It’s like I feel limited because of the variety. Like I want to “escape from freedom”, to quote Erich Fromm.
Even if I don’t want to go back to the old days, I sometimes feel like saying:
Just give me what you had before there were options.