I have but one question. When were you last scared? No, not worried. Worried is an entirely different emotion. I’m talking about wet your shorts, kick the dog, terrified. In the medical world fear is synonymous with the sympathetic nervous system. When this system is activated, your heart races, your pupils dilate, and your hairs stand on end. So to repeat the question, when were your sympathetics last engaged?
Most Americans would probably answer that question by referencing The Dark Knight. I mean face it, there’s just not much to be scared of around this town. The lions, tigers, and bears are all safely locked in the zoo. Indians now make money off casinos instead of scalps. And unless the Air Force misplaces another nuke, the Cold War is long gone.
The result? Middle class America is bored stiff. We’re so bored we’ll pay ten dollars to watch a grown man dress up like a bat and run around for two hours. Our sympathetics are atrophying. Our sense of adventure is disintegrating. And our souls are suffering. This is all because we miss the wild.
Humans need the wild because it screams life in an increasingly inanimate world. The wild reminds us that we are alive. We have something for which to live. We have someone for which to run. Such things are easily forgetten while watching reruns.
Humans need the wild because it informs us that we are not enough. You might as well face it, you can’t make it alone. I mean Mowgli never would’ve survived without Akela. That’s the whole point of community, to sustain life amidst the unknown.
Humans need the wild because it breeds confidence in a self-conscious society. Your first bout with Bigfoot may scare the crap out of you, but the next time he comes around you’ll be ready. That’s what the challenges do, prepare you for the next.
Finally, humans need the wild because it inspires dreams in spite of reality. The truth is you probably won’t summit Everest, but what if you do? Rationally, there’s no reason to ride the bull, but what if you make it eight seconds? Intellectually, you might as well give up, but what if you keep going?
Without such wild questions, you lose your wild dreams. And if the soul is made for anything, it’s made to dream.
So you see what I mean? Your Soul Needs The Wild.
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2 comments:
Pete
Wonderful blog! I think I can guess what you were studying this weekend too :) And to answer your question the last time I was scared was yesterday driving down First Ave. There was a, for lack of a better word, "puddle" that I couldn't see because it was raining so hard and my car was so submerged in water my electrical system inside my car went out (no lights/turn signal etc). My sympathetics were activated (couldn't feel my legs). But beyound that, I havn't had a good "wild" experience in a while- thanks for the push to get out there and do something!
beautifully said Peter... perhaps my sympathetic nervous system is in overdrive though :) and predictability seems elusively appealing... BUT perhaps it is God's way of keeping us in the depths of His hold despite the craziness and seemingly madness of living on earth.
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