I stopped so I wouldn't go crazy

Table of contents:

I stopped so I wouldn't go crazy
I stopped so I wouldn't go crazy
Anonim
bed1
bed1

First you hear voices, you respond to them, then you slowly lose reality - said Áron Méder about how lonely sailors go crazy, but he avoided this. Békét és Selet, summarizing the adventures of the Földkerülő with the record-breaking sailor! We spoke on the occasion of the publication of his book Three Years Around the Earth, where he also stated his motto: fantasy has limits, reality does not

Some people are willing to make all kinds of compromises in order not to be alone, and you chose to be alone for three years. Do you always tolerate loneliness better than average?

Are we going to jump right into the deep water? Everything can be learned, including being alone. It doesn't matter that I was alone on the ocean, I was surrounded by water, fish, and the boat was my companion. Of course, we have to be good with ourselves to wear this. I am a person who enjoys being alone. I always kept myself busy and when I had some time, I meditated. Ocean sailing is a dangerous sport, especially with such a small boat. This is a very small ship, it wouldn't even fit a second person!

Would you like someone by your side?

Of course not. It is much easier for a person to adapt to other cultures, people, and ports alone. Making friends is very important. 52 days was my longest straight trip and when I docked in Polynesia I immediately looked for company. This was not difficult, because if a child with long hair and a beard arrives on a small boat and speaks French poorly, they absolutely love it. They don't like the French, and it's good for them to hear that no one else knows the language well. By the way, it is part of the etiquette for fishermen to come and help when a boat arrives. Water connects people. It's true, I quickly became friends with the customs and immigration office, we drank beer and coffee together - the local, traditional drink - because you see a lot of tourists, but not a lot of lonely sailboats.

Did you learn meditation before the trip, or in Fiji, where you spent half a year?

It so happened that during the six months I spent there, I worked on other ships for starvation wages. There was an opportunity to go down to New Zealand on a fishing boat, where I was the captain as well as the crew. On the way back I came on a yacht, also as crew, and there the captain was an English figure, a master of transcendental meditation. I already said on the first night that I was interested in this, I myself use my own sailing meditation.

What is that technique?

I won't tell you, I will teach about it later in my very expensive course (laughs). We waited for good weather in New Zealand for two weeks, during which I was able to learn meditation, and we relaxed very well with the guy. When I came home, the Hungarian TM center contacted me after they saw me on TV. It was a strange conversation, they asked me such things at half past eight in the morning as to whether I missed sex. That's when I started talking about meditation - what I don't know the answer to, I counter it with meditation. I'm serious about making people pay attention to themselves. Don't just deal with the material world in terms of material. It is more important to get to know yourself and your goals throughout your life, no matter what technique you use for this, meditation, prayer, relaxation. And I don't just talk about it, I also apply it.

During the three years of absence, did you find out who you are?

Do you perhaps know who you are?

I haven't traveled around the world yet

Okay. Basically, I improved in a lot of everything. I have learned to adapt better to people and external circumstances, I can accept others better.

It is natural that many people are concerned about whether they have missed sex for such a long time

It's light, but if someone understands what such a trip is all about, they will see that I was happy to be able to steer, sleep, eat, I was happy that I didn't freeze to death. I only touched the top of the masculine pyramid.

Speaking of the frequent questions, most of your interviews ask whether you have gone crazy or started talking to yourself

I get asked this because there are solo sailors who are crazy. I had hallucinations too. I heard my father or my ex-girlfriend - whom I lost because of the trip, a sane person does not want to be a sailor's wife - speak to me, I answered. It was night and I hadn't slept in a few days. I thought I'd hand over the reins, but then I realized I was alone. How to go crazy is a process. At first you hear voices, you respond to them, and then you slowly lose reality. There were those who committed suicide or set fire to their ship, and the best case is that the person prefers not to go crazy: he gives up the journey, docks, sells his ship, and flies home with that momentum. In order not to go crazy, you have to be strong and learn to handle situations.

How? Have you tried to make yourself aware that you are just hallucinating?

It can be that way, and also that I talk to a psychologist. When I docked in Tahiti, I met a psychologist who was also sailing alone on a yacht. I don't think there are any coincidences. During the trip, however, I quickly opened up to other people. In the tropics, everyone is smiling among the sand and palm trees. They have no clock, no spin. In certain months, you can't even go outside until the afternoon, they still rest until then.

Have you adopted this rhythm of life?

Immediately there, but it doesn't work in Budapest. There are appointments and programs, it is impolite to be late.

How do you feel now, how long is three years?

It wasn't long because I felt good. In my book, I described the Atlantic crossing as one day, even though it was 39 days. Every day was the same, every day the waves came, the fish swam, I caught, ate, steered on.

What else was writing the book good for you besides reliving the trip?

Mostly for this. I'm not the soulful type, I didn't cry during my trip, I wasn't very homesick either. Of course, I missed my family and Budapest, but I enjoyed being away. Sometimes I thought about how nice it would be to walk on Margaret Island. Since I came home, I haven't been there anyway. I believe that the real story has power, fantasy can never be so interesting and surprising. Fantasy has limits, reality does not.

In an interview, you said that you did not aim to break a record with the trip, you think that record breaking mania is a disease of civilization. In your reading, do chasing records and, for example, panic disorder, which is considered a disease of civilization, belong to the same category?

But it's strange that you brought these two together. It is in us to chase records, but every record is broken once, so it is of no importance. You can always travel with a smaller boat and you can make longer trips. What is important to me is that I showed with this low-budget trip that sailing is not only a luxury for rich tourists.

Since you came home, you have had interviews, performances, and attended public meetings. Do you like these?

You can't say no to something like that. If a small town invites me to its cultural center, it's a nice thing and it's not a burden to me. I also learn from what people care about me.

What do you want to use your fame for besides drawing attention to sailing?

I want to use it for this. In the summer, I take children to sailing camps, it gives itself. I don't feel that I will work in an office, my lifestyle is different. I have already been a patron at sports events, I have also presented Carina in several places, I feel that I am living up to the opportunities. But I don't want to be famous. They also have their place in the world, but I'm more attracted to interesting people.

Photo: Balázs Markovics

Recommended: