A New Journey

Welcome to the first post of my blog, titled under my own name, Ed Kumar.

For those of you who followed my running blog Ultrainspired, much of that work will continue related to Ultra running and endurance sports. However, I wanted a new platform to talk about a broader spectrum of topics. You'll find many subjects and conversations here, ranging from personal development, family and parenting, atheism, career and restaurant life, wine and food, as well as art, writing, motorcycles, kickboxing and martial arts.

I know, that's a ton of stuff, and it's kind of the point.
Fear not, there is a common theme that will underly all the ramblings and rantings of these various topics and that is the goal of living a fulfilling life.

We live in an age of many distractions, and I as much as anyone am guilty of succumbing to the random shiny notifications on my smart phone or notebook computer that draws my attention from deep work, pulling me out of a flow state and beckoning me to waste away the minutes of hours on the equivalent of junk food. Aziz Ansari wisely stated on the Freakonomics podcast that Facebook is like being on the millionth page of the worst book he's ever read.
Ironically, many of you will find this posting on such social media channels, including Facebook. The dichotomy of our current state of living is unprecedented as we seek the things in our lives that have meaning in an almost hedonistic and selfish desire to consume, while at the same time desperately find ways to detach, disconnect and get closer to our truer selves in an quasi-stoic or meditative oneness with  . . . what? That "what" has eluded us for Millenia, and it's becoming more challenging with the added noise that assaults us daily.

I see and I observe.  I am more open to different perspectives and opinions today than I ever have been before. I'm an information junkie, and there have been many influences, both contemporary and ancient, that have helped form much of my current outlook, and those will all be discussed and unraveled as the posts continue to develop and explore this new era of my life.

I hope you can relate to much of the topics as they are brought up, and create some debate and dialogue for further exploration. The goal is not to provide a concrete offering on a point of view, but rather to allow the evolution of ideas to grow and unfold. A New Journey is an apt title for this first posting, as I don't know where it will end, and nor do I care. I am more interested and curious about what will be found along the way.

Ultimately, I hope that this blog will inspire and spark that childlike wonder and curiosity of pushing boundaries, questioning the status quo, evolving one's life and habits and perhaps even create new found passion in whatever endeavour you feel is your calling. I'm excited to dive into it with you.

Let's begin . . .

Ed