Each of our journeys is unique, yet we all walk the same road. But I feel at times as though that road is split down the middle by a great divide, and there is no bridge to cross it. On the far side, people walk unconsciously. They look without seeing and believe without asking. They let others shape their convictions, embracing without question their tribes and cultures. Some live their lives and personalities and circumstances in abject defeat. Others accept history–their personal histories or that of the world–as just done. They don’t wonder if things could have been different. And they too often allow circumstance to shape their future, rather than engage to shape a future they want.
The Sentient Traveler is a metaphor for the rest of us: We feel the road beneath our feet. We walk in wonder, and never accept without question or curiosity. We constantly explore both our inner world and that outside ourselves, asking how and why the two intersect as they do. We realize our personal journey is inextricably bound to those of others. The Sentient Traveler is aware of his or her own history and circumstance, of the influence of family and culture on beliefs. We always question our convictions and choices, always ask how and why and if things have to be the way they are.
These posts are bread cast on the water. I believe the history of humankind as well as our fate–both as a species and as individuals–lies at a curious intersection: That of biology, psychology, ecology and circumstance. We can’t understand it otherwise, nor can we understand either ourselves or one another. I hope like-minded travelers come back to me with insights and questions of their own.
st, 08/08/15