Traveling Alone 2500 years ago and today Part 9-Me and Gogh

I'm not really saying that Cervantes and Vincent Van Gogh have anything in common anymore than anyone else, certainly not from a talent standpoint.  I'm not sure about Cervantes, but I can't draw a straight line with a ruler.
But I'm traveling alone tonight and that makes one philosophize.  Before I get off the subject and talk about the origins of philosophies and those of Zeno, those of the stoics (I'm definitely not a stoic), I want to just talk about a basic point.  The stoics will have to wait for a later post.
Traveling and traveling alone is one of the most free experiences you can have.  Even in ancient days, a slave traveling alone would be, for the moment, as free as anyone else.  We all have our crosses to carry with us, even traveling alone, and we all have those who we have to answer to, at least those of you who have the pleasure of being able to talk to the one we want to answer to.  But when you are alone, and know you are alone and are traveling and not with anyone else, then at least you are free.  Maybe you'll have moments of misery, but they will be experienced when you are free, whether you recognize your freedom or not.
We were talking about Cervantes and Gogh.
Gogh was a mad genius artist, I only pretend to be mad, which may be enough.  Was Cervantes mad or did he just write about being mad.
  Certainly we are all mad in our own way, listening to the voices in our heads, sometimes believing them, almost all of us answer them and they talk back.  Some of us have experienced some true madness, compliments of inner ear problems, perhaps, or moments of stress when our brain stem takes a lead role in our thoughts.
What I'm getting at here is that both Gogh and you use your different "arts" to express emotions pent up inside that force themselves out almost of their own volition.  Van Gogh's ended up being worth a lot, but that's the benefit of genius.
Madness seems to be related to the time of day, what's happening in your life, and a certain pre-disposition towards being mad.  And when you are alone, when you are traveling alone, you have time to reflect, too much time to reflect on things perhaps and you are a little more mad.
But you are also free, a slave to all of your doubts, mistakes, and lost opportunities, but free nevertheless.