How do I begin my great adventure?

I have, figuratively, read all the books and listened to every piece of advice but, though clever and thoughtful, none of the conversations fully apply to me — why not? This is because my life is unique. I can reach out and touch you and feel the warmth of your body, but who are you? I will not and cannot truly know.

The self is the only person I will ever understand in totality. I am ultimately my own teacher. This is the dilemma that all thoughtful people face. We are alone except for our intimate connection with God, Jehovah, Gaia, or the Universe. That said, we do, of course, have close relationships with others. Some in the most personal of situations. But, my inner voice talks to no one but me.

This is not a fearful statement, but one of liberty. I can truly take my own counsel and control my private existence. It is of great sadness in human consciousness that many beings do not believe this axiom and see themselves as controlled by exterior as opposed to interior forces.

So then, how do I begin my great adventure called life? As with any grand journey, preparation is everything. I diligently assemble the supplies, mental and physical, that I will utilize along my path. The very first has to be the proverbial talk with myself. I must believe I am capable of undertaking this quest — the challenging journey of me. Then comes instruction, I need to be trained, I am obligated to be educated. We have, of course, the formal requirement to schooling. I also have the necessity of learning how to present myself — only accomplished as an autodidact.

There will be many experiences wherein I will be alone and shall have to train myself. Subsequently comes the areas of sophistication: Do I know the moral values of the world — hard work, integrity, and honesty, to name but a few? Do I comprehend how to eat and dress properly — am I a man of the world?

Finally, I shroud myself with a holy protection for my quest is a spiritual pilgrimage — a crusade to discover all I can be — everything I should achieve. In this, it is important to throw off the expectations of others and only keep those that are dear to me. These will keep me warm at night when faced with the many cold failures that are a part of any great life adventure. Author and screenwriter, Douglas Adams, (1) leaves us with a thought: I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be.

A closing thought: The way I conceptualize my life most certainly adds a psychological aspect to my sentience. Any great adventurer knows that he needs to endure all the heartaches and difficulties of the journey to get to his destination, to a personal Shangri-la. (2) This view is the opposite of living a safe and conventional life. But the question becomes, why not view life this way? If we all exist in finite time on this plane of existence, why not have some fun with yourself? It will place all of life’s suffering and pain against a background of ultimate joy. The outcome will be worth the journey.

To sum up: This week we spoke about the great adventure of life.

To be noted: From John Steinbeck (3) — People don’t take trips, trips take people

Just for fun: