A Journey in Search of the Unknown

I was aboard a flight to a land unknown. I was told it was a place of wonder and excitement, populated with the strange beasts of the past. This was an exit from reality, an exit from the lifestyle which has dictated my every thought and action. This flight was my ticket to a new dimension, a new reality, a new me. This flight was bound for the far-off land known as San Diego.

In my early years, it was bestowed upon me that the land of San Diego was a magical place where one’s wildest dreams were destined to come true. San Diego is the place where a lonely news broadcaster, known as Ron Burgundy, could become one of the most influential men in America. It is a place where giant fish are kept as pets and used for transportation for some, and amusement for all. San Diego is the place where bear like creatures, once exiled from China, could congregate in a free, unrestricted environment. San Diego is the definition of paradise, a world without negative emotion, a world where one could truly be.

 I began to settle on the plane as my body trembled from excitement and wonder. I thought of all of the sadness of my past, and how it would all be lifted away at the first breath of that fresh San Diego air. I could become whoever I wanted to be, create a new life, create a new me.  

As I stepped out of the airport in San Diego my first breath was that of exhaust fumes, and body odor. The sky was grey and the air was sticky. The idea of paradise had come crashing down in a single instance. I was overwhelmed by sadness unlike any other, and a single tear fell from my eye. My dreams would forever be what they were, dreams. At that moment I knew what I had to do, I had to find the truth, and I had to tell the world.

I began to scour this once magical land in search of what once was, only to face the daunting reality that this once perceived paradise did not exist. The world renowned new broadcaster was but only a fictional character, created only to tease the imagination. The giant fish, which I believed were used for transportation and amusement, were subject to slavery. These fish, or killer whales, have been subject to scornful controversy in recent years, which was based on allegations of murder by the leader, Shamu. Shamu was sentenced to the harshest form of capital punishment without due process, which is guaranteed in a document called the Constitution of the United States. The bear like creatures were no different, forced to procreate on every possible occasion, only to have their precious offspring ripped from their paws and never to be seen or heard from again. San Diego is not a land of mystical wonder. It is only but a place where dreams go to die. A graveyard of childhood wonder, a world of deception.

 As I leave this place called San Diego my mind can only hope. I can only hope that this idea of paradise does exist somewhere, and that this idea of paradise is not just a façade. The façade based on the hopes of what may be.