Something Lost, Something Gained …
Throughout history, people have been faced with the decision of throwing away or losing something they cherished in order to gain a better life or something else of greater value. Those people who crossed the ocean in the 1400’s to settle what is now the Eastern United States left nearly everything and everyone behind to do so. Without radio or telephones, written communication took place over MONTHS – each way. We complain if the ‘snail mail’ is a day late or if somebody’s phone is busy when we call. Living conditions aboard those ships were generally terrible and many died along the way of disease or malnutrition. No antibiotics or emergency air transport available there – not for another several hundred years or so. One needs only to read accounts of Magellan’s (an early Spanish explorer) voyage to the Americas to appreciate this.
One of the images that stays indelibly etched into my consciousness comes from American history class. It is that of a family moving westward in their covered wagon. Specifically, the standard movie scene of the father having to toss some prized heirloom furniture out of the back of the wagon as the wife watches tearfully, because the oxen are losing the battle of pulling the load up a steep mountain trail. The historic migration westward of settlers during 19th century America was one that took tremendous strength and courage for all individuals involved. We should remember that families and individuals made this move long before cars and U-Haul rental vans were even thought of. There was no National Highway Transportation System – there were only narrow, deeply rutted mud trails across dangerous, uncharted territory. These early settlers braved devastating guerilla attacks launched against their wagon caravans by natives resentful of the European encroachment. Many who weren’t killed in such attacks fell ill and died along the way of innumerable illnesses or injuries. Once again, there was no HMO or hospital in those days, nor was there AAA to give you a tow if your transportation failed. Any person, family or group who attempted this did so totally on their own with no outside help. It should also be mentioned that, if the logistics and risks of such a journey weren’t daunting enough, persons contemplating it were frequently ridiculed by others who did not share their imperative for going. Yes, it took great fortitude to carry out such a trip in those days. Even in modern times, with our cars, trucks, planes, cell-phones, ATM’s, hospitals, AAA, etc., a move out of town or cross country is a huge, stressful event for most people. Indeed, it is lumped right up there with illness, divorce, and death by mental health professionals in terms of its impact on most of us. With nearly all of the World’s wild, uncharted areas gone or unreachable without huge investments of money, manpower and equipment, there remains only two frontiers left to explore: One obvious answer is outer space, which remains unreachable for most of us for obvious reasons. That leaves us with a unique place that doesn’t require any physical transportation to reach – indeed it is as much a part of us as our fleshly bodies. This place is our own Mental Landscape. The reasons for exploring it are compelling for those who desire a better understanding of themselves and the world around them. It is actually where each of us lives – we see the outside world around us and other people from that point of reference. As with the Earth’s landscape, one’s own mental landscape undergoes changes with time as conditions vary. The difference is the time frame and the forces involved. Our frame of reference is in mere hours, days, years; the Earth deals in hundreds, thousands, millions of years. While the Earth’s landscape is shaped by climactic forces and/or Man’s activities, our Mental landscapes are shaped by social forces, our life’s experiences and sometimes by the constraints imposed by an ailing body. So, this is all nice, but ‘What does it have to do with trading something one values to gain something else?’ you might be asking. PLENTY. As with any exploration, as one gains new knowledge one loses something. No, one does NOT have to toss Grandma’s dresser out in order to journey through this region. The excess weight one MAY LOSE is preconceived notions, cherished beliefs, … One may find, much to one’s own chagrin, that the framework upon which one’s life was based is false, inaccurate or no longer applies under current conditions. Such realizations can be and frequently are horrifying – and lead one to ask even harder questions which can and do lead to progressively more unpleasant answers. Like a transcontinental wagon trip 150 years ago, it requires a monumental effort. Indeed, this is why most people are content to sit in front of the tube, not ask questions, do as they’re told and allow others to define their reality for them. This is why those same people would mock or criticize ones who dare to venture into such territory. It is a journey reserved for those who don’t settle for “Because I’m an authority and I said so” as an answer to their more important questions. ‘Why bother??’ you may be asking. Try as you might, it is one place you will never leave until you die. As was mentioned earlier, it is where you ultimately live – regardless of your body’s physical location. As the expression regarding ‘Running Away’ goes – you “take it with you”. You take yourself, your experiences, your attitudes, … your Mental Landscape with you wherever you may physically travel. Most people would not be comfortable being driven around town their entire life wearing a blindfold, not knowing where they are, having to rely upon the driver’s description of what’s going on outside or noises and bumps in the road. That figuratively is what happens with most people where their inner landscape is concerned. If we don’t want this kind of external control placed on our physical being and our senses,WHY WOULD WE WANT IT DONE TO OUR MINDS?????
Copyright September, 1998 by Karl T.