"You are running away in your own company. You must lay aside the burdens of the mind. Until you do this, no place will satisfy you."

In February 1968, the Beatles traveled to Rishikesh, India. They were the most famous people on the planet. They were exhausted, sick of the screaming fans, the drugs, and the pressure. They went to the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi to find spiritual peace. They wanted to escape the noise of their lives.

But they forgot one thing. They brought the Beatles with them. Ringo Starr arrived with a suitcase full of baked beans because he was afraid of the spicy food. He hated the bugs. He left after ten days. Paul McCartney got bored and left after a month. John Lennon and George Harrison stayed longer, but the peace didn't last. The band started fighting. Jealousies flared up. Rumors spread about the Maharishi. They wrote most of the White Album there, but the songs weren't peaceful. They were tense and jagged.

They traveled thousands of miles to a holy sanctuary. But they couldn't escape their own egos. They just unpacked their drama in a new zip code. Seneca calls this the "Geographic Cure." It's a common delusion. We think that if we just move to a new city, or go on a vacation, or quit our job, we'll be happy. We blame our surroundings for our misery. But the misery isn't in the room. It's in the mind.

If you're anxious in New York, you'll be anxious in Paris. If you're angry in traffic, you'll be angry on a beach. You're "running away in your own company." The baggage check can take your suitcase, but it can't take your neuroses. You have to carry those yourself.

Errors & Corrections

• Don't blame the zip code. We say, "I hate this town." No, you hate your routine. Changing the town won't fix the routine. Fix the daily habits first.
• Don't treat travel as medicine. A vacation is a break. It isn't a cure. If you go on vacation to run away from your life, you'll just be sad in a hotel room. Go to explore, not to escape.
• Don't pack the beans. Ringo brought his comfort food because he wasn't ready to change. If you want a new life, you have to leave the old comforts behind. You have to be willing to eat the spicy food.

Applications to Modern Life

Work

You hate your job. You think your boss is the problem. You quit and get a new job. Six months later, you hate the new boss. The common denominator is you. You might have a problem with authority. Changing companies won't fix that. You have to fix your attitude toward leadership first.

Leadership

A CEO is failing. They decide to move the headquarters to a hip new office. They buy fancy furniture. They think the new space will fix the toxic culture. It won't. The toxicity moves with the movers. Culture is about behavior, not architecture.

Athleticism & Sport

You're playing badly. You buy a new set of golf clubs. You buy the most expensive shoes. You still slice the ball. You can't buy a better game. You have to fix your swing. The equipment is just the geography of the sport.

Politics

People often threaten to move to Canada or Europe when an election doesn't go their way. They think a different government will solve their internal dissatisfaction. It usually doesn't. You'll find things to complain about in Canada, too. The duty of a citizen is to improve the place where they stand.

Social Media

You delete Twitter because it makes you angry. You join Threads or Bluesky. Within a week, you're angry there too. The platform isn't the problem. Your addiction to outrage is the problem. You took the habit with you.

Interpersonal Relationships

You break up with your partner because, "they don't understand me." You find a new partner. Six months later, they don't understand you either. You're running away in your own company. You need to learn how to communicate, not just how to swipe right.

Maxims

• Wherever you go, there you are.
• The mind has no passport.
• Drop the baggage before you board.

In-depth Concepts

Caelum non Animum (Sky not Soul)

This is a famous phrase from Horace, often quoted by Seneca: "They change the sky, not their soul, who run across the sea." (Caelum non animum mutant qui trans mare currunt.) External changes are cosmetic. Internal changes are structural.

Stultitia (Folly)

Seneca attributes the desire to flee to Stultitia, or foolishness. The fool thinks the problem is "out there." The wise man knows the problem is "in here." The fool runs. The wise man stands still and does the work.