Thoughts from an ancient Mayan archaeological site

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(Edited)

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Of course I didn't write this piece in the middle of the Mayan ruins. At most, I took my phone out a few times to take some pictures of the ruins and to have some Steem/IG material, one to make posts and the other one to fill that emptiness we all have and we look to substitute with likes and comments.

I'm not impervious to this feeling of emptiness and this instant gratification solution that mostly affects millenials and younger generations. It does wonders for our self estime, self confidence and how we think of ourselves. Other people's validation has become a key part of our perception of the self, whether we like it or not.

I try to avoid this altogether, in fact, I completely stopped posting on Facebook - except for sharing a few articles - ; my Twitter is only comprised of retweets mostly about politics or crypto, narratives I support pushing in a platform like Tw; Instagram is perhaps the only mainstream social media platform I use regularly, posting a couple of stories daily and a Feed picture once a month or so.

Why did I stop posting on these regular social media sites? Let's not get inside the psychological and sociological ways these Blue and red media hubs mess up with us, I actually wrote a piece about that a year ago. Let's just talk about time wasted and most importantly, the fact that I don't want my self esteem and self validation to rely on likes or comments. The more we post, the more we segregate dopamine, the more dopamine we segregate thanks to social media, the more addicted we become to it.

Well, I don't have the time and I think a bit more of myself to become addicted to social media. But I also know myself, I know I might as well fall in the hands of Zuckerberg, that's why I tend to avoid using these social media sites, to not fall into his claws.

Damn, I'm sperging again, this was just the introduction to the post, I am trying a new kind of freewrite. A freewrite where I write about the topics that wandered my mind during a specific moment or experience where in no way I can put out my cellphone to write, and then putting a post together about these thought once I'm infront of the PC or the cellphone.

I remember thinking to myself: Here I go, taking pictures for Steem and Instagram, what a bloke.

Well, not quite I'd say. Of course I don't like taking pictures ONLY for social media likes, but who am I to judge those who do - which let's face it, apparently it's like 99% of the population; visiting places, spending money and time in getting the perfect picture in the perfect spot, all because of pointless internet points in a mind washing social website.

Unlike Steem, where anyone can monetize their voice, these other social media sites monetize us and our information. But that's not the point, let's get back to my thoughts in Chichen Itzá, one of the modern seven world wonders and the Mayan achaeological site I visited a week ago.

When I began posting on Steem, my posts were about adventures. This post about Chichen Itza would've been about how I got there, how the day went, what I learned and tons of pictures of the place. Sort of like a travel/adventure blog. Now, @anomadsoul is more about my thoughts and opinions, the way I see life along a few travel posts and contests.

We all change and tweak the way we post. I mean, we gotta. Of all the successful Steem writers and vloggers I've seen come and go, all those who never evolved and adapted, are now gone or making low rewards. I like to think I've evolved with the platform and my audience, not being the most popular writer, but keeping on vogue and on trend with the audiences, without losing or compromising my own essence and touch.

Which brings me to my next subject. In Chichen Itzá I found at least 300 street vendors, seeling crafts, souvenirs and some other shit

What do I mean by this?

Well, exactly, literally what it written. There are improvised street stores inside the Mayan site. Not right next to the pyramids or temples, but most of the natural hallways made of trees, you can find hundreds of tables with crafts and souvenirs ready to be sold to the eager to spend Gringo.

I thought to myself. To what point are we, mexicans and people in general, ready to sell ourselves in exchange of some survival. We are tainting our ruins, traditions, ourselves and our pride just to profit off some tourists and because the locals have a quarrel with the private owners of a piece of land inside the ruins. Point being, Chichen Itzá is beautiful and the ruins are next level, but the place overall is a shithole that looks more like a Mexican local market rather than a sacred archaeological site. Pity. Shame. Mexican after all.

I thought to myself all of that while walking around to get to the big Pyramid, the main one, that one you see in all the Instagram posts with the cute girl smiling or the buffed guy looking sexy at the camera. Well, I got a dog on my pic :)

I kept walking around, seeing the temples and watching people around me. I tried to ppreciate the architecture and how nature and men converge, even though I know nothing about architecture I am well versed in nature.

I couldn't help but notice that at times, I forgot I was being witness of something unique, a place that's been there a thousand years and it holds more history than anything around it. I practically stopped noticing how wonderful it is to be in front of a 25 meter temple built 800 years ago, and how the jungle is beginning to regain the terrain that once was taken from it, little by little eating out the plain grass and letting herself grow more and more, starting to be in communion with thte temples, until all we have is a temple inside a jungle, instead of a temple surrounded by plains and more temples, no trees, no jungles, only people, buildings and a working society.

It's easy to lose ourselves in the heat of the moment and give ourselves to the picture taking, laugh sharing and chit chat making, no matter what we are doing. We could be in front of the pope, on a space flight or watching TV, I bet that more than one of us - me writing and you reading - would be a victim of this. We can't help it. But let's at least try to appreciate and live the moment for what it is, and not forget where we are.

Sometimes the best way to do it is to close our eyes, listen around, feel the ground below us, become one with nature and our environment and give in to the moment, and not to those around us and the social interactions we could easily have in a coffee shop.

Of course I had more thoughts rambling on my mind, but this post is already long, so I'll close with some pictures of the place, I hope you enjoy them :)

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What, you thought I wouldn't include a selfie? Considering how much I love my selfies on steem, I'm disappointed you thought I wouldn't upload one :P

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I shared this post on Twitter as part of the #posh initiative!



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30 comments
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I participated in the last concluded contest initiative by @blocktrades through you. But very unfortunate for me....I wasn't upvoted. It's just an observation sir. Thanks 😊

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I love to see those set of white teeth on your selfies 🤳 hahaha. Lol 😀

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Lol, they're not that white, but luckily I still have all of them hahaha

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To listen to the audio version of this article click on the play image.

Brought to you by @tts. If you find it useful please consider upvoting this reply.

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I imagine it must be a great place, full of lots of energy. I guess it would be a waterfall of thoughts going through your head, we must settle for something at least.

One question that can't be left out is who made these wonders possible?. Whether we have really advanced in knowledge or maybe it's a step backwards as some say. A lot to say!

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Ja,ja,ja...Con tanto discurso si pensé que no habría selfie pero me parece que el perro lleva la delantera. Bonitas imágenes, interesantes reflexiones y mucho en qué pensar. Todavía recuerdo las travesuras cuando el mundial de fútbol.

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Obvio siempre hay selfie en este tipo de escritos!

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Cool selfie ;-) now, take a look at the left side of the pyramid,
zoom in,
zoom in more,
more ...

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;-)

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Oh damn, that's a neat pic, also wearing a Steem shirt :D :D :D
It completely flew over me that you might also have a similar picture as mine haha, I guess we'll have to compare pics next time we meet amigo.

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We are hoping to go there later this year. We can’t wait. It looks awesome.

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If you decide to come here let me know and I'll give you a hellbunch of tips!

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(Edited)

Hi, Eric. Wow, one reads you and is transported to the site, not without leaving behind several very important and valid comments you make from that natural wonder you visited. I imagine how great and spiritual it is to go to a site like that, a site that holds millions of memories and experiences of many ancestors in one building. However, what a sadness that, as you say, human mercantilism and the fact of seeking survival with the economic, leads to undermine and impoverish the beauty of these sites so fabulous and should be preserved, at least there in the place, this kind of situations that take away the relevance and natural beauty that they have.
Concerning the social life of people in the current era, many people have become so attached to living from an appearance, publishing at all times absolutely everything of their lives, without thinking of consequences of the invasion of privacy, that the use of the networks themselves has become a guillotine for these people.
Before I used a lot of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, I still keep my networks but since I joined Steemit, my life changed and my view of participating, as well as all my time, I have poured it here. Writing is something else, another inner level, my free time is dedicated to Steemit, the other networks I use occasionally perhaps because the level of personal satisfaction has gone beyond these places and their essence.
Thank you for providing us with this content, thank goodness that during all the bad things you were able to enjoy the essence of the magic of the site. Thank you very much for sharing your experiences, I love reading you and although it sounds frivolous at the end of this long comment, I loved the picture at the end, hahaha, very handsome you look.
A super hug from Venezuela, dear Eric @anomadsoul

I'll stick with this line that I loved:

Sometimes the best way to do it is to close our eyes, listen around, feel the ground below us, become one with nature and our environment and give in to the moment, and not to those around us and the social interactions we could easily have in a coffee shop.

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(Edited)

I know this place is large enough for the crowds to disperse but in your shots, it looks totally abandoned! Did you just climb over the gates before it was officially open that day? :D

This is my "least peoply" shot from there :)

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Yeah man, I was lucky that I went very late in the afternoon and in a somewhat not busy day at all, so I was able to take some cool shots with almost no people in them :D

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Very beautiful @anomadsoul, this is one of the few ancient buildings I had seen to be great and well looking.

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It's one of the 7 modern wonders, I liked it very much.

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Still waiting on naked nomad selfies again. Beginning of March or earlier Ive promised my wife a topless picture and that will be making its naked gnik debut on Steem.

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Is this a challenge? Cause I might accept it haha
Definitely gotta prepare some pics in the Caribbean for a future naked nomad selfie post :P
We can post it on the same weeekend haha

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we haven't been but is on a list probably when the boys are older :)

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Definitely when they're older, this region requires that the whole family is able to walk long distances on their own and can hold themselves in hot humid weather for hours at a time! You'll love it though :D

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I focused specifically on the speech and the expontaneity was what struck me most. Without a doubt, for me it is an example to follow. Over there they say, less is more.

The best way to teach is by modeling. Best regards.

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Chichén Itza! In my years of study I had the opportunity to study and read about this monument in a subject called Hispanic-American I and all its history captivated me. I wish with all the strength of my heart, to visit it. To take many pictures to perpetuate this moment. I don't know if I will upload them to facebook or IG, but I will keep them to evoke the moments I will live when I am there. I do not lose hope: one day I will go.

On the other hand, I believe that everywhere in the world it is possible to see how commercial activity takes hold and settles around these monuments. Perhaps, they affect the beautiful spectacle, but in the end, we find the way and concentrate on what is important.

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"Well, I got a dog on my pic :)" Well done, atleast the dog won't be fake just for the photo, like we (humans) very often do.

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Exactly, dogs don't act for the instagram pose :P

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