This journal entry was originally published as "A travel manifesto: Journey to evolution" in September 2013 on my old travel site, Eye & Pen. I've touched up the flow a tad. I hope you enjoy.
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Through my years of traveling the world, I’ve learned countless lessons and recognized numerous themes that connect all human beings, no matter the country or culture. I’ve found there are certain inherent tendencies and characteristics that most people have in common, like that of good will towards others. While western societies have shown to separate communities by the development of social tiers and inequality, and for the fear of security, I’ve witnessed firsthand more times than I can count (or remember now) that most people of this world, no matter their origin or belief, are generally good.

It was 2013, I was in beautiful Granada, Spain. It was the second week of my nine month backpacking trip across Europe. I wrote in a notebook as I watched. The original was published in May 2013 on my old travel site, Eye & Pen. I've touched it up a bit, truth be told. I hope you enjoy.
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I sit along the ancient stone wall of the bustling plaza, with one leg draped on either side. The Alhambra looms overhead, casting a dull shadow over the stream below. The sun warms my back and the light breeze soothes its hot sting. My eyes flit from here and there, following the playful birds soaring and owning the skies. Oh, the skies. So beautiful, the blinding lustrous blues and the occasional white splotch of hanging cloud. The sounds of the river flowing below me mix wonderfully with the smooth picking of the woman's guitar. Two dogs sit at her feet, listening peacefully. One with various shades of black with orange brown, and the other is golden. They flick their tales at flies, and their eyes are shut, each lying on their sides, soaking up the sun.

Greetings fellow humans,

What a strange time it is to be alive... Not a day passes without the thought of our existence streaming through my mind. How weird is it that we live on a planet that's hurling through space, with comets circling us and burning up in our atmosphere, and meteors salivating at the very thought of smashing us to nothingness... And we worry about the milk content in our overpriced coffees? Not the fact that we're enslaved by the 'almighty' dollar and conditioned to be and act and think a certain way. Or let alone the MADNESS that is society... For me, living today is as big a joke as I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing – that's pretty huge, considering that Trump is actually leading to become president. But that's another rant for another time. I'm free-styling this welcome article as ideas come to mind. But I suppose I should backup a little and explain who I am and what you can expect from me, my blog, and my (upcoming) books.

You can read a whole biography, about who I am and what I've accomplished with the fun personal tidbits, here on the About Brandon page. However, to keep from repeating myself too much, I'd like to keep this brief. I am a writer and have been for a long time. I've been known as a photographer, travel writer, designer, brand marketer, and a pain in the ass for more years than I can count; well, that's not exactly true, because who's counting. I have dedicated my life to opening the eyes of the many – simply put, I have seen some of the devastating tragedies that happen on this planet everyday, I've witnessed and felt the inherent good in people, and I've researched (my butt off) to come to the truth of our existence, the human condition and the heart of the problems of our society and the central reason for why things are the way they are, and I could think of no other way that I could be truly effective in helping our embattled planet, the survival for life and our species than to write thought-provoking and belief-challenging material that is both imperative to our survival, the happiness of all things, and controversial by nature.