"It is only in adventure that people succeed in
knowing themselves--in finding themselves."
--Andre Gide
Have you ever found yourself in a situation that's slightly less than exciting? Stupid question, I suppose. But humor me for a minute. Perhaps a class, a meeting, or a seminar is dragging on a bit too long. You're tired--beyond tired--and you can't stop glancing at the door, willing the time to go just a bit faster. Maybe the fire alarm will go off, or maybe there will be an earthquake! You just need something--anything--to save you from the relentless droning of the speaker's voice.
Suddenly, the mahogany door splinters off its hinges, and a pack of ravenous velociraptors bursts into the room. Screams reverberate off the walls, and you feel an intoxicating dose of adrenaline surge through your body. Instinctively, you leap from your chair, barely dodging the claws of a nearby raptor. Scanning the room, you locate the shotgun that has conveniently been placed on the ground just a few yards away. Lock and load. You chamber a round and manage to fend off the onslaught of raptors, courageously saving your colleagues in the process--and all without getting a scratch on you! After you barricade the door and begin hoisting your friends up into the ventilation system (where they will, no doubt, find their way to safety), a blinding flash of light demands your attention. What is this new threat? Some sort of alien invasion, perhaps?!
Alas, it is just the flickering of the projector; a new set of notes has materialized on the screen, and you are slowly dragged back to reality.
All right, so, maybe that was a little over-the-top...but we've all been there, haven't we? Daydreaming to escape the infinite boredom of some meaningless event. But there's more to it than that, isn't there? Our thirst for adventure needs to be quelled, and daydreaming simply isn't enough. So, we go mountain climbing. Hang gliding. Skydiving.
Now, I realize that this isn't true for everyone. Frankly, with my mind-numbing fear of heights, I doubt I'll be launching myself out of a plane anytime soon. Still, there's some alluring about the call to adventure. But why? Is it just because life is...really dull?
No. Well...maybe. But there's more to be discovered than a simple cure for boredom. I believe most of us have heard the phrase "grace under fire," perhaps often enough that it has entered the realm of the cliche; even so, I've found myself pondering it lately. In some sort of extreme survival situation--"under fire"--would we not discover the true essence of our character (and, thus, whether or not we actually possess the inherent "grace")? Wouldn't we find--during the most dire of situations, in the very midst of an adventure--that our personalities have been stripped bare? Everything is simplified in that kind of scenario; you only have your instincts. I've always thought it would be an interesting test in self-discovery (albeit a difficult one). Everything insignificant would fall away, and we would delve into the cores of our personalities. And what would we find? Courage or cowardice? Perseverance or indolence? A drive for self-preservation or a willingness for self-sacrifice? I guess you could call it an "extreme personality test."
Obviously, it's not realistic. You're not going to throw yourself--and your closest friends--into a pool of sharks just so that you might discover a little bit more about yourselves. And yet, there's still something appealing about it all--not just the adrenaline rush, but the raw sense of honesty that one must pursue with oneself and with all those involved.
I once heard the expression, "There's no point in living if you can't feel alive." Somehow, I just don't buy it. Clearly, adventure is a welcome escape from our everyday lives, but we certainly can't plan our schedules around it. We've got friends, family, classes, and jobs that ground us in the real world. But still... Eventually, our minds wander, and we find ourselves craving something a little bit faster. A little bit higher. And a little bit more dangerous.
2 comments:
Yes.
I think that I've experienced such a desire to some extent. Though, to be honest, my daydreaming doesn't usually include raptors ;)
I like the idea of the extreme personality test, though. And a lot of my cherished memories with other people have been during experiences that were quite out of the ordinary. You rarely hear people say "remember that one time, when we had dinner in MAP and the food was bad? SUCH a good time."
But overall, good post. I'll elaborate more via other communication.
Life is very monotonous. Perhaps that is why we ponder it so much. A very good thing, pondering. Excitement is one thing we try to occupy our lives with. And ultimately I think we are searching for meaning. I wonder if people think about the meaning of life as little as it seems?
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