Backpacker missing in India: Ryan Chambers.

aZuRe27

I am sure that if this is the case and that Ryan has just walked off, he has a lot of unanswered questions when he is found or comes back. I am sure that John and Jock are both going out of their minds in India trying to locate Ryan and I hope for Ryan's family and friends that he has a reasonable answer to all this!
I have no idea where his diary was, perhaps amongst his belonging and they didn't think to look there...who knows...

steven_ber

I do not know Ryan and am not suggesting the following is what may have happened with him.

I walked out on my life a few years ago and badly hurt everyone who cared for me, although I knew they would be hurting, I had already convinced myself that they would all be better off without me (a symptom of depression), and although they were constantly in my thoughts for the 7 months I was away, I remained convinced that I was right and never contacted them.

When we get too much stuff going though our heads, we all react differently, at that time in my life it was all too much to take and rational thinking went out of the window.

India has a way of making us look at ourselves and our lives in far more detail then we have ever done before, some people react badly to this, some don't.

Lets just hope that Ryan has reacted badly and is not thinking straight at the moment, sadly that may be the best we have to hope for.

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cyberhippie

In extreme circumstance such as your personal story I can understand it Steven, but I have met people who simply cut off ties with home as they did a bit of "self examination"
I always wondered why they couldn't let someone at home know of their decision before they headed off to "find themself"
You know a quick e-mail or something!!

seventies'hippy

Perhaps the guy finally found the courage & the way to escape the life which he's had to live until now,,,,,,,,,,,,

When that urge becomes so strong all logic & consequences go out the window. He's probably seen it as his last chance to do just what he wanted to do & If he didn't do it then he would never get another opportunity.
When your inner self speaks to you you go with it, otherwise you'll regret it forever,,,,,,,,,,,

To him leaving the diary where it could be found was enough to free himself of the guilt of going.

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cyberhippie

Perhaps your right seventies, rough going for the folks back home though. Still what you said made a lot of sense to me personally!

Nick-H

<old codger mode on>

Tchhh... Kids!!!!!

<old codger mode off>

But, sure, better a live baby than a dead man. Lets hope this is true and whatever or whoever he's got involved with is OK

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PRIYA

I truly wish that there's a positive outcome to all this. His folks must be absolutely demented with worry.

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Alan D

This also seems to me to be good news.

It's possible the ashram experience has thrown him into a confused mental state, especially if he has no previous experience of Indian religion and philosophy.

Somebody must have seen him if he went wandering off, so I think it's important to get his photo into the local and National press and a reward for information might be an incentive for people to look out for him. But I expect you have thought of this already.

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What a long strange trip it's been!

Judi

"There is a tide in the affairs of men which,
taken at the flood, leads on to fortune.

Omitted, all the voyage of their life
is bound in shallows and in miseries"
Wm Shakespeare


If Ryan felt a strong impulsion to 'go find himself', then I hope very much he is alive and safe - and that he manages to remain so. I also can understand that he thought his friend might talk him out of it. But it is nevertheless breathtakingly selfish of him, unless he was in deep mental turmoil.

So much for 'totally out of character' eh? Which of us really knows someone elses' true character?

aZuRe27

We can never predict someones character, but from people who knew him, it did seem out of character through their eyes. The reaction to what was written in the diary as been both surprise and frustration for Ryan's family. John probably would have stopped Ryan as he has always been a sensible person, whereas it was common knowledge that Ryan wanted to "explore the world and experience new things." Fair enough that you want to do that, but it is somewhat unfair that Ryan has not considered the feelings of his family and friends.
About a 1000 Posters have been put around where he was staying and reward money is offered. For the sake of Jock and John, I hope they do find a more concrete lead to this strange disappearance!

indira

I have just come back from Goa, the picture looks ident to a guy i saw at the arambol beach in goa......i could be wrong.....
He is about 1.57 tall.....if this helps....If i am wrong then i hope they find him soon...

Nick-H

There may be an IMer or two thinking, "told you so". I guess it is gracious of them not to be posting that.

Anyway, we don't know yet and we don't know what or whom this guy has got involved with.

I'd want more than just this diary entry before considering everything OK and I think friends and family are right to go on searching.

Shikari

I don't think we should be too hard on this guy. Which one of us hasn't done something very selfish in this life, particularly when we were a bit younger.
I don't think that he is necessarily suffering from any mental disorder either as has been suggested. I imagine that many of us here have, at some time, wanted to walk away from all of the structures that provide us with security (family, job, bank account, wardrobe, etc) but few will have had the courage.
I am not suggesting that to disappear without telling ones family is an admirable thing to do but there is a history of people wandering off to become sadhus, to seek enlightenment, or to test themselves in India. All our minds work a little bit differently and we all want slightly different things from life.

cyberhippie

I tend to agree but we are witnessing both sides of the coin here. The impetiousness of youth, the devil may care attitude, that as you rightfully say exists/existed in us all.
However it's quite humbling to see the grief and worry caused by the disappearance!

*jyoti*

It sounds like that's what he might have intended by the diary entry... Maybe he knew that if he stopped to write a note right when he was leaving, he'd talk himself out of it