What if the peace you envy in other people is not wisdom but exhaustion? What if the simplicity in their lives is merely defeat? What if the people who seem free are those who merely have run out of places to flee to?
I found this literary drama about guilt, ambition, reinvention, and the human tendency to mistake resignation for enlightenment, "The Retreat in Bali", while looking for another "Banjar Hills" hide-away after I had just heard that Virgin has started direct flights from Canberra to Bali.
I loaded it onto a USB-stick and took it with me to "Melbourne" where I listened to it until I fell asleep. Given how difficult it is for me to still my mind and fall asleep, it must've been a good story, and I shall listen to it again tomorrow and the day after. In the meantime, Bali can wait.
