Run Damn It!

Where is the adventurous spirit of man? Has it gone by the way of the Great Auk? Or is it simply lying dormant as a hibernating badger, only soon to awaken with all it's rage and hunger?

 Chris McCandless wrote, “In reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within man than a secure future.”   If this is the case, then this spirit may be dead forever. As a species, like all others, our first priority is to, in fact, secure our future. On far too may levels, we avoid all things dangerous, all things risky.  We once set off on bold and audacious journeys to claim new worlds and territories. Now, we set our security systems and cozily tuck ourselves into our warm beds each night. At one time, this species explored other celestial and heavenly bodies. Now, we explore the back of food containers, reading fat contents, caloric data, and nourishment info we don’t really understand anyway. At one point homo erectus decided to fight back against the food chain and fire was discovered. Today, our discoveries are limited to the gray hair I found on my head this morning.

 Everywhere I turn, I see the signs that reflect this. SLOW. PASS WITH CARE. CAUTION. YIELD. NO PLAYING. DANGER. Each one carries a cautionary tale, making certain we stay in line and keep our instincts in check.

 We send our children out to play with so much protective gear that it distracts from the art of the game. “Hey dad, I’m going over to Ben’s to play.” “Ok son, make sure you stop, look both ways, there and back. Take a walkie-talkie and keep me posted on what you’re doing. Wear your helmet, knee and elbow pads. Do you have long underwear on? Stay away from Douglas because I heard him coughing yesterday. Maybe you should have a breather before you go. Hey, don’t climb that big tree in their yard. Don’t go in anyone’s house. There may have been peanuts. Oh, and honey? Make sure you have fun!”

 Kids just want to dream, explore, discover, leap tall buildings in a single bound. Now we rob this from them. They expect to fall and bruise themselves. But they still believe that a simple band aid and mom’s magic kisses will make it all better so they can hurry outside to do it all over again. And you know what? They’re almost always right. They don’t want to be rushed to the med-center because their temp is 100.5 or be told to sit and rest because they’re breathing harder than normal.

 Studies show that an average child laughs or giggles 300 times each day. The average adult, only 12. Somewhere along the line, somebody who loved that child taught her otherwise.

 We bubble wrap our lives. We safeguard everything and we will pay the price. In fact, we may already be.

 Don’t get me wrong, I believe we should take care of ourselves, make intelligent decisions, and protect our loved ones with extreme vigor. However, this takes much more than elbow pads and calorie counters. It requires us to get out there and live.  Take a risk. Stop settling for the probable and attempt the impossible. Who told you that you are made for atrophy? You were designed to journey. To explore. To discover. Declare yourself to the world! Tear off the bubble wrap and leap, run, run, fall if you must.  

But damn it, RUN!