It amuses me greatly that while this is the third class in which the teacher has shown Into the Wild, but I have yet to see the full movie. But that's ok, seeing a movie is somewhat less important to me than the things I was doing while not in class. :)
To me being alone when choosing what path to take in life is, if possibly nonessential, most definitely important. People have more influence over one another than they sometimes realize. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Yes. It surely is. But imitation is not self. A moment in which you discover that your actions mimic someone else's more than they do your own is the time when you must choose a new path. You must choose a path that is entirely you, and being alone is the best way to assure this.
I see the people that do travel alone as having a very pure form of confidence. I recently finished a book that was all about what confidence is and how it is displayed. Essentially I view being comfortable in your own skin, and being okay with being alone as the root of confidence. A journey into the wild-alone-is, among other things, a search for confidence. There are of course then the spiritually enlightening moments of knowledge that stem from this.
The thing is you don't have to actually be in the wilderness to be in the wild. What is wild is what is unfamiliar, untamed, uncontrolled. Simply by not letting others decide which path you take and not influencing what you do along this path is going into the wild. Traveling into the wild, the wild of a city, of a town, of a forest, or desert, is an opportunity to learn, and to gain confidence. Confidence to have peace of mind. To find om.
Well done. I think the trick is finding peace in the familiar. Although, one may find something in distant treks into natural spaces and previously unknown places finding peace at home is the ultimate goal. We are fortunate to be surrounded by so much, unfortunate not to readily recognize that which can bring us happiness.
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a point that I never considered. That the wild could be the unknown, unfamiliar, etc. Thinking of it from that perspective, it makes it easier to think that being alone in that uncharted territory is actually a good thing and possibly even necessary. People we know has a large impact on us without us really realizing it, so getting away from that influence, we can discover the unknown both in the world and in ourselves.
ReplyDeleteAdina's blog mentioned the kindness of humanity. I think, in addition to all that you mentioned, that those who are so radically trying to identify themselves, such as Chris, are afraid to rely on humanity because it intrudes on their peace of mind and puts them in anxiety-provoking debt…debt being owing others for their kindness. Further, Chris separates himself because because he feels partially responsible, if associated with his parents, for the lack of demonstrative kindness in his family.
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