A Journal Entry by Connor
Trip: "Polar to Solar" Outdoor Ed, Spring 2014
Location: Mount Sopris and Moonwash Gulch, UT
Teachers: Travis Moore and Andre Wille
Medium: Creative Journaling
April 7, 2014
It's a purely astonishing concept really; we live in a world completely governed by a schedule, which all relies on time. Yet, if we really think about it, time is based on our sun, which came long before we had a real sense of urgency. We, as a species, would wake up when we felt we wanted to, and we would venture out into the wilderness with few goals in mind. For starters, we would search for food and water, the two true necessities. Yet, they would have an entire day to do such activities, maybe they would have to fix their shelter, but that would not take much more than a few "hours". They could perform these tasks leisurely, enjoying the beauty emanating all around them, and then go to bed when the work was done and they were tired.
Now. Now we wake up at a scheduled time so we can get to school, or work, at a specified time. What about that seems wrong? Is it the fact that from an early age we are being taught that the day starts and ends at a specified time and that within the specified time frame we HAVE to complete whatever irrelevant work we are handed that day? No wonder we are all so afraid to re-immerse ourselves in our natural habitat. We have strayed from our true purpose, our true purpose is not to earn our way to some high paying job and be the most well known person in the world.
No, our true purpose is to enjoy and relish each and every beautiful moment in each day. We should strive to learn and embrace this wonderful accident that is the Earth. We should challenge ourselves each and every day to make not only ourselves, but also our fellow humans happy and grateful for what they have, and not what they hope for. So, therefore, we should not squander our time wishing and hoping for a better life while the best moments pass right over our heads. So I ask of you this, when your alarm goes off tomorrow, ask yourself, "is accomplishing whatever task I'm given today going to help me enjoy the time I have on this spectacular plane?''. If the answer is no, then go ahead, hit the snooze and take a little bit longer to get up when you feel ready, and then go out there and explore, immerse yourself back in the world; be timeless.
