Why do we explore? What is the reason for our drive to discover new things?
To be fair, some people don't have it. I'm often just comfortable sitting on my couch while I watch Netflix. Not very adventurous, to be sure.
Gratefully, there were a few people in the Renaissance who didn't share my love of dull entertainment. They weren't content with the things they had. They had a burning drive to discover new things and bring themselves glory, wealth, and success. These adventurers came from all corners of the world to seek out new opportunities, and they let nothing get in the way of their ultimate success and prestige! Unfortunately, this led to many negative consequences as well, including the spread of disease, and much bloodshed, to name just a couple.
Thankfully, today we don't kill other people to bring glory to ourselves and to our country. That is a very, very, good thing. But I would also submit that we don't do as much exploring. We aren't as driven as a Christopher Columbus, or a Ferdinand Magellan.
Just because there aren't any new lands to discover doesn't mean we shouldn't spend time discovering new opportunities in our own personal lives!
So get up. Get out there. Turn off YouTube. And do some exploring.
I think what is interesting to your point is that people like Christopher Columbus or Ferdinand Magellan didn't have the easiest of times traveling and exploring; they spent weeks on a ship at sea because they had no other option and along with that, they had no accurate maps or maps they believed were accurate but they found were mistakes based on their own assumptions. Because of explorers like these, humanity was given the foundation of the means for exploration, yet with accurate maps caught by orbiting satellites and the movement of cheap airfares so that anyone could travel, even internationally, it seems we are more content experiencing the world from the fantasy given to us by Netflix from the comfort of our couches. Yes, perhaps we gain knowledge on the technicalities of culture, but exploration should at the very least change they way we think personally about the world. Exploration builds our character which Netflix rarely does.
ReplyDeleteI agree that as individuals we could certainly learn a lot from these explorers and adopt more of an adventurous attitude towards life. At the same time, I think that in many way we are exploring, just not in the same way. As a whole, humanity is constantly pushing the bounds of what is known, seeking for truth. We are exploring the vastness of space and trying to understand the depth of the human psyche. Exploration continues, but perhaps as individuals we are too complacent to let others do it for us.
ReplyDeleteYou make a good point that we often become comfortable with our circumstances, especially living in the United States. Although there may not be "new lands" to discover, the world and even our own country, is full of things left to have an impact on. Growth is a never ending concept, and therefore there is a never ending possibility of exploration and opportunity.
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