The Importance of Experience: A Kauai Travel Journal

Experience – why the undying need to pursue it?

I have a restless heart…a desire to see the world, to touch unfamiliar ground, to immerse myself in culture…to experience. I don’t know why or how it came to be, but it’s a passion that needs to be pursued…and questioned. Why is it that I feel so strongly to experience different lands and cultures? With technology moving at the speed of light and anything we desire sitting at our fingertips, it is increasingly important that we harness our fiery thirsts for physical and emotional experience.

Recently, I found myself in Hawaii, on the island of Kauai. I had never been, and couldn’t wait to explore its lush, green land. Kauai is unlike the other islands of Hawaii — a tropical rainforest covers the majority of the island and many of the cities have yet to be commercialized by tourism. I had one goal this trip: to experience as much as I could, and as authentically as possible.

Experience is the best teacher. It is the genesis of knowledge. And with that knowledge, experience shapes our heart and changes our perceptions. When we choose to experience, we are actively participating in a particular event and, the more we participate, the more we accumulate emotional, sensational and practical knowledge. We then have the ability to apply the wisdom that comes only with experience to new or unrelated situations. Therefore, we are able to change our previously-conceived perceptions and open our hearts. I left Kauai with a greater understanding of the culture and an undeniable appreciation for its unfathomable beauty.

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“Human experience is the ultimate source and justification for all knowledge. Experience itself has accumulated in human memory and culture, gradually producing the methods of intelligence called ‘reason’ and ‘science.'” —John Shook, Free Inquiry

Have you ever explored the idea of experience? Why does your heart long to pursue it? I’d love to hear your stories in the comments!

Follow Joanna on Instagram and Tumblr.

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debra
8 years ago

I eloped and got married on Kauai, so it is a very special magical place for me. Your photos did it justice. I return next year on my 20th wedding anniversary, and cannot wait. There is something about this place, the way the air smells of ripened fruit, how the people are always smiling, the rusty red dirt, the history, the sheer beauty of it all. My heart aches for it – thank you for this!

My husband and I went to Kauai for our one year wedding anniversary and we still talk about it. We got lost on a hike but ended up at a 300 foot cascading waterfall. It was gorgeous just like in your photos.

~ash
charcoalandash.blogspot.com

8 years ago

Such inspiring photos, hiking the nepali coast in kauai is definitely on my bucket list!

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8 years ago

My hubs and I have been thinking of taking our kids to Kauai next year. While we thought it would be fun to go to the big island, seeing photos of Kauai just seems like a much better option. Thank you for sharing these beautiful photos and solidifying our choice! :)

Em
8 years ago

I love your words, so beautiful, and exactly how I’ve been feeling lately. I guess some of us have this thirst for the otherness in the world and nothing feels so good as pursuing it in as raw a form as possible. I started my journey in Hawaii ten months ago and haven’t gone home yet, caught up in travelling the world. Thanks for your post, so encouraging for me :)

Em
8 years ago
8 years ago

SO beautiful!! I wanna visit

8 years ago

Wow that photo from above of the coastline in the clouds is breathtaking. Definitely filling my wanderlust must-go-list with this post.

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alyssa
8 years ago

where in kaua’i was the photo taken with the lauhala in the top foreground, and the green pool next to the ocean? I’ve been trying to figure it out and haven’t gotten it yet!

Tommy
8 years ago

Beautiful photos of Hawaii. I think you’ve lived a wonderful experience.
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Alexis
7 years ago

I know Anthro is opening on an island, but FP isn’t going to the garden isle, is it?