First post - a small introduction

Hello fellow steemers,

I’ve been on Steemit for almost a week now, gathering up the courage to make my first post. It is an introductory post, so expect to see a lot of “I’s” in here.

Why do I need courage to make a simple post? I have absolutely no idea! Maybe because I have wanted to start blogging for a while now, yet everything I ever wrote has never actually seen the “web” (random posts on facebook don’t count).

So who am i? I’m just your typical average Joe, living in an Eastern European country, trying to figure out wtf this whole life thing is all about. For some reason, until I was around 21 years old I strongly repressed any passion and artistic inclination I had(except for travelling) and just basically lived my life somewhat robotically, never actually allowing myself to FEEL life in all it’s beauty and horror. Everything was mostly black & white, the plan was to study to get a well paid job(for my country), buy a house without getting in debt for 30 years, find a wife, make a couple of kids and plant a tree.

So what happened? Well, I suppose growing up happened. Life started throwing at me challenges over and over again, one after the other, more at the same time, slowly but steadily cracking the wall I had created around myself and destroying my self-made image of a balanced, goal-driven human being and before I could realize what was happening I found myself in a deep depression I didn’t think I could ever get out of.

I will not bore you with the details and the drama, I think everybody has their own challenges in life which they overcome or not. For me it took almost three years to climb out of the darkest corners of my own mind, and in the process I allowed myself to develop all the passions I had previously neglected, I opened up to things that feed the soul, not just the body. I think it was C.S. Lewis who said that man does not need art or philosophy to survive, but these are actually the things that give value to life. (actual quote is a bit different, but the meaning is more or less the same)

As a result I now describe myself as a wanderer, a traveler, a wannabe amateur photographer(like….really really amateur) also with an interest in subjects covering psychology, filosophy, economics, social responsibility and a few others. I am also an Officer in the Merchant Maritime Industry, as that was the easiest way I could find to settle my hunger for travelling ever since I was a teenager.

I have absolutely no idea about what I will write next, or how my writing will develop, but I am happy to be here and am looking forward to constructive criticism.

I would like to end the post with a quote I think is quite representative. Thanks for reading and wish you all the best.