What makes an adventurer?

Music is usually what keep giving me ideas. And here I was, listening to a great song, and before I knew it, I had an idea for my next blogpost. I found myself asking what it is that makes an adventurer, or rather, what it is that separates him from other humans, those that are satisfied with living their lives in peace and quiet, while he seeks out adventures and excitement at the very far reaches of civilization.

Sure, we may be driven on by an almost unsateable thirst for excitement. But I think that is only half the truth. To say adventurers are adrenaline junkies is to do us injustice, as if we should call all politicians war mongerers (which, of course, is true only to about ninety percent). Ultimately, and I can only talk for myself here, I think it is a force within us that wants us to travel and see the world, experience nature in all it's raw beauty, and live off of her, rather than buy what we need to survive in a store.

It's not only some sort of remaining macho gene from our ancestors, the homo sapiens, that makes us want to live so far away from civilization. It's something more. The simplicity of it all, and the self-reliance required to survive such, makes us stronger, but also makes us relax, and we love the trials of ot, compared to the questionable trial of walking down the street to the local 7-Eleven and buy a bloody steak for dinner. Compared to that, the satisfaction of having gathered your own food, through hunting, foraging or snaring, is priceless, and a feeling hard to achieve in today's society.

But it's not only about the food, either. To travel the world, see places few others have seen, places almost untouched by civilization, is to gaze at the very soul of Earth herself, in her pride and beauty. Some might argue we're just loners and sociopaths. Granted, there are people who do this to get away from the rush of civilization - and I admit, I am one of them - but it never was about whether or not there were other people, but about seeing new places. Exploration, not as a civilization, but as an individual. Few people seem to have that urge these days - sure, they go on vacations, but they make sure to stay close to the cities. Few of us take the time to explore the wildlands of the world, places where few others have been and where civilization has not yet reached.

When you find yourself standing in the Scottish highlands, gazing at Nature in her most untouched and widespread beauty, there is a solitude, a peace of mind, that can never be achieved while in the city, be it in Miami, London or Paris. When one is so close to nature, one is almost at one with her. And I believe that might be the ultimate reason that many take up the mantle of adventure, searching, not only for solitude, but for peace of mind, in a world that is ever speeding up, ever becoming more and more stressful.

In truth, adventurers are the last bastion of a dying breed, or so it would seem, with the day's world looking more and more compartmentalized and all-business no-pleasure, hard work and threats from terrorism, war, famine and diseases. But we adventurers are also the most at peace with ourselves, because we get a chance to escape all of this once in a while.

Of course, I'm not saying that it's wrong working at an office. All I'm saying is that once in a while, everyone, even the most fanatical city-dweller, should leave the city and go out into the wilderness for a while, to experience her wild solitude, and to rely, not on a store, an employer or a politically elected leader, but on yourself, to survive, to gather food. If you do, I guarantee you that you will never want to go back to the city again.

After all, it's in our blood, the urge to explore the world, expand our horizons.
We've just chosen to ignore that urge.

Henrik