This is a quote by Paulo Coelho, author of The Alchemist. Having just returned from a 10-day road trip through Albania with my wife, it rings true. It’s a long time since I ventured off the beaten track to a new and unexplored part of the world. Since getting married and starting a family, the better part of thirty years has been spent being a responsible, somewhat enslaved citizen, conforming to the societal norms and values that my first thirty years had properly prepared me for. But fortunately, with the passing of time comes the inevitable curved balls of life, reminding us that life is not a rehearsal, but a precious and passing gift to be lived as thoroughly and authentically as humanly possible. Mine were prostate cancer and clinical depression, which can both be considered common 21st Century maladies.
I think it’s tragic that the current pillars of modern society, namely the nuclear family, formal education, and organized religion, turn most of us into fearful, uncertain, and doubtful robots – the infamous FUD factor. By the time we leave home and college, and step into ‘independence’, we are largely pathological and dependent, primed to live ordinary, routine lives, much like our parents, grandparents, and great grandparents. All our potential creativity, confidence, and clarity gets buried in a system of forced consumption of over-processed facts and figures that have no inherent relevance or value to our individual natures – see foie Gras. We are programmed to be less, much like Charles Dicken’s Oliver Twist discovered when he dared to ask for more.
Of course, there have always been the intrepid few like my childhood hero, Marco Polo, or Vasco da Gama and Christopher Columbus, the explorers of yesteryear who ventured into the unknown. They discovered hitherto hidden continents and civilizations, bringing back exotic spices, food, materials, and artifacts. I would like to suggest that we are all invited to be explorers, but the terrain is not outside of us, but within. Since the day you were born, your orientation has been outward due to the natural workings of your five instinctual senses of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. As a result, we are overly attached to things, experiences, and other creatures whether human or otherwise, making us highly material. When we learn to navigate the inner landscape of our own inherent natures, we balance ourselves by becoming more spiritual and intuitive.
If you think abundant life is only for the chosen few, and therefore beyond you, then I want to assure you that abundant life is within you. Unfortunately, it may appear to be as inaccessible as the north and south poles were to early travelers. One of the greatest adventures you can embark upon is learning to nurture your own incredible human nature. This involves spending time with yourself at a body (sensations), heart (feelings), head (thoughts), and soul (sacredness) level. By practicing conscious breathing (Harnessing the wind blog), emotional regulation (F___, f___, f___ – I feel so f_____ up blog), The Work (Developing Mental Flexibility blog), and meditation (The Art and Science of Detachment blog), you will no longer be a slave to routine, but the wild and free adventurer you are meant to be.