I am engaged in a ten year endeavor I call “The Unenlightened Wisdom Project: Journeying from Brain Health to Democracy.” Some of the themes from that project overlap with this one and I occasionally will include excerpts. This first one about the journey of life comes from the White Paper that gives an overview of the whole ten year scope. Dave Coverly, the award winning cartoonist for the syndicated “Speed Bump,” graciously provides cartoons for this project. The former philosophy major stated: “This is just great. I am honored to be a part of this.”
“I hiked over 20,000 miles via long distance wilderness journeys, taking up to a year to complete. Sometimes I followed well-defined trails, sometimes I used a map and compass to pioneer cross country routes. Thousands of miles of experience determined the routes I chose and the wisdom I gathered along the way.
To those who commented over the years that my journeys sounded like recreational fun, I cautioned that even a well-defined trail can provide challenges related to terrain and weather, not to mention the challenges that one’s own physical or mental conditions impose. Navigating cross country with map and compass introduced additional challenges, such as finding oneself immersed in an oppressively dense spruce and fir forest, or looking down a formidable cliff not fully revealed by the contour lines on a 1:250:000 scale topo map. I considered none of those experiences as recreational fun, though in the end they provided wisdom, satisfaction and great stories to tell.
To those who believed only masochists endure the inconvenience, discomfort and pain of having to hike every day, regardless of environmental or personal conditions, I pointed out that every way of life has challenges that must be endured. At least wilderness journeys provide simple, unbiased challenges to be met. The rainstorm does not care who you are and sheltering yourself from the storm is a simple matter if you are experienced. The grand diversity of humanity means we find joy in different activities; but for me no other way of life matches the joy experienced during a wilderness journey.
For years I compared these journeys to a way of life for inquiring minds who were curious or mistaken, filled with the rewards, challenges and routines that all ways of life involve. Now I am struck by how life resembles a journey. With both our lives and journeys we seek to explore, learn and grow along the way.
My long distance journeys brought me into frequent contact with strangers who turned into instant friends. The kindness strangers extended to me, the kindness communities provided to their own and the belonging I felt with other long distance hikers during these journeys shaped the creed that guides my journey of life:
“Love kindness. Build community. Believe in humanity.”
Civilization features the presence of mass societies. The challenges of a journey in mass societies exceed the challenges of a journey in a wilderness landscape. The inherent complexities, chaos and confusion of mass societies increase dependence on authorities to guide us. Authorities, representatives and many academics tend to favor materialism and individualism. If we instead seek a humanitarian journey in civilized society, a wise place to start is with our own brain health.”
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