Admit it. You aren’t like them. You’re not even close. You may occasionally dress yourself up as one of them, watch the same mindless television shows as they do, maybe even eat the same fast food sometimes. But it seems that the more you try to fit in, the more you feel like an outsider, watching the “normal people” as they go about their automatic existences. For every time you say club passwords like “Have a nice day” and “Weather’s awful today, eh?”, you yearn inside to say forbidden things like “Tell me something that makes you cry” or “What do you think deja vu is for?”. Face it, you even want to talk to that girl in the elevator. But what if that girl in the elevator (and the balding man who walks past your cubicle at work) are thinking the same thing? Who knows what you might learn from taking a chance on conversation with a stranger? Everyone carries a piece of the puzzle. Nobody comes into your life by mere coincidence. Trust your instincts. Do the unexpected. Find the others.
-Timothy Leary
I am a self described seeker. The word evokes a myriad of images from the various cultures and religions that discuss this archetype. I use it in more in the sense of an explorer, charting the territories of the inner and outerscapes. By learning the of paths of those who came before, I use their words of wisdom as I plot my own course. Along the way I’ve met The Others as Leary spoke of, those who knowingly or not are journeying on the road less traveled. Sharing with them and listening to their own journeys made me realize the gratitude and appreciation I have for these encounters.Human belongingness, as described by Maslow’s hierarchy, is an essential emotional need and prerequisite for self worth. Although this is only a type of model for understanding human motivation, we can still see that the groups we associate with affect our self esteem and ultimately self actualization, our full potential. Which brings me to my quest to find the others. When we find our tribe, those whom we challenge, inspire, and lift up, we are creating the possibility for really transforming ourselves and those around us.
Answering The Call to Adventure
The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure.
The work of Joseph Campbell was a catalyst for my inner journey and continues to be a great source of inspiration. His life’s work was writing and lecturing about comparative mythology and religion. He developed the concept of The Hero’s Journey, which explains the general story pattern through which the protagonists in many religions and myths go through. The first part of the journey is ‘The Call to Adventure.’ I believe that Leary’s quote is the call for all of us. Our adventure is to break from being passive consumers of the mundane, manufactured, and inauthentic culture presented to us. It’s time for us to evolve how we think and live in the world.I’m eager to find the others, whose sympathetic hearts and free minds are also yearning to plumb the depths of this existence. For those of you who are willing to go down this path, I extend you my hand and invitation to join. Maybe we’ve already been each other’s company, to which I say bring more with us. Or maybe you are, like I once was, reserved and hesitant to reach out. No worries, come when you feel ready. For those already creating such groups and communities, keep being awesome.
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