Pastoral Reflection: Another Perspective On Adventure and Conquest: Columbus part II

Over the years, I have seriously questioned our desire to advocate or even idealize the quest for adventure or exploration.

When opening myself to the spiritual life, I switched my focus to the inner journey and have begun to see, at least for me, that the greatest adventures are not to be found outside of ourselves; not in climbing mountains, crossing jungles, racing cars, or sailing yachts- not even in landing on the Moon or Mars. …

Instead, our greatest adventures are to be found in exploring inner space… As for conquest, there is no greater conquest we can achieve or realize than more fully understanding oneself.

Three of many teachings I refer to are these:

The first is this, that “Love’s divine adventure is to be All in All.” Miscellany Mary Baker Eddy

And the second comes from the first essential writings of the Buddha, The Dharmapada, which states, “Greater than the person who conquers ten thousand men, is the person who can conquer himself [or herself.]”

These wisdom teachings stand in sharp contrast with our Media driven glorification of high-tech warriors, machismo figures, and governmental policies where the talk is tough and the actions often vicious or violent.

These words of reflection and insight also definitively stand against our national mythology of having a “manifest destiny” which is a disguised arrogance of power that has been used against every race or color, and used in every century since this New World has been discovered.

And the third:

“Loving is the hardest task and the greatest adventure anyone of us has to face; it is the goal which all other tasks and goals are but preparation.” (Rainer Maria Rilke)

To understand and to love oneself, and unselfishly love anyone else requires our deepest, longest lasting, toughest, and most demanding efforts. The adventure, the risk, and the reward is to see; and to affirm what we, as individuals, families, what we as humankind, need most to learn, explore, and then practice.

The ultimate adventure of our lives can be found or experienced by being openhearted, sincere, courageous, vulnerable, compassionate, empathetic, honest, and free… So Be It!