The Philosophical Quandary of The Beach
July 19, 2007
Inspired by a recent philosophical piece from the Brave New Traveler, I have decided to visit an interesting quandary which faces modern tourism.
Most of us backpackers have read or at least seen the movie “The Beach”. While the movie was a Hollywood production, both the book and the movie contain an underlying philosophical problem which is always haunting backpacking global consciousness.
Ask yourself, “What is the dream of every independent traveler?”
Is it not to discover the ideal, untouched paradise which has yet to be spoiled by the throngs of other travelers? Yet in your quest to find this paradise, it is your very own presence which is the problem in ruining idealic spot after idealic spot.
A poignant example is found on the remote beaches of Sri Lanka. Here you might expect some quiet solitude while surfing some of the worlds best waves, but instead there are so many foreign surfers crowding the beaches everyday that the only way to catch an unharassed wave is to wake up at dawn before the entire beachfront becomes overwhelming.
How can the conscientious independent traveler search out these untouched destinations without becoming part of the spoiling problem. Is this even possible? It brings to mind the scenario of the anthropologist who is sitting drinking a Pepsi and photographing the indegionous tribe which he is studying. The presence of the anthropologist threatens the very culture which he is attempting to preserve. Like the theory relativity, the act of observation itself imparts unavoidable change on the system.
Where can the global backpacker find a solution which allows us to travel in good conscious? One possibility is to always avoid becoming a typical tourist. This means that you volunteer or work in an area for a period of time before pursuing your independent travel.
The reality is that it is not the individual travelers which cause the problem, but it is the onslaught of the many which causes the inevitable degradation. When you are traveling as a tourist, you will always be herded along highly frequented routes, but if you are able to break this cycle through becoming involved in a local organization, then you will establish local contacts with local insights which will allow you to break the tourist cycle and travel independently without becoming one of the many who are spoiling the same finite pristine.
Are there any other ways to circumvent this unfortunate phenomenon? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
great post. i’ve written about the philosophical implications presented by The Beach as well, and I came to a slightly different conclusion. Basically - we look outside for the ideal “paradise” only to find that our presence defiles that paradise we sought to protect. therefore, we’re doomed…unless we realize that the only true paradise will be found by first fixing ourselves.
Hmmm, this one might be a little too philosophical for me… I would however recommend, just keeping one’s mouth shut. I understand that the traveling community is a very open and just plain chatty group of people. But sometimes, it’s better to just keep things to yourself. More than likely the masses will find out eventually, but at least you can slow the process a little. Every new travel oasis shouldn’t be a race to see who can spoil it the fastest.