At the Explorers Club Flag Return Ceremony for the Bokeo Buddha Expedition I had the opportunity to share my thoughts on Why We Explore. Here is the text I fumbled through;
A question I've been asking myself and others for years is “Why do we Humans leave the comfort of our homes and communities and go out into the world to explore?” I have a few observations I'd like to put forward and see what you think of them.
How many of you have ever been lost? My hand is up.
A question I've been asking myself and others for years is “Why do we Humans leave the comfort of our homes and communities and go out into the world to explore?” I have a few observations I'd like to put forward and see what you think of them.
How many of you have ever been lost? My hand is up.
As a kid, I got lost all the time.
You remember what that experience was like, the vulnerability. The physiological fear response heightens ALL your senses. And as the heart skips faster, you notice and remember tiny, odd little details. Your pupils dilate. You sniff the air.
Dan Eldon said, “ There is little difference between exploring and being lost.’ Its true. Dan was a beautiful communicator of adventure.
My grandfather made me a notebook and said, with a notebook, if you write or draw what you encountered, you are no longer lost, you are exploring. In recording what you encountered, you become loss-proof. The difference between exploring and being lost is in what you bring back from the experience.
Where does exploration take place today? With satellite imagery of the surface of the planet and robots exploring the ocean and space?
I would argue that it doesn’t matter where you wander, lost or not, but what you notice to the left and to the right of the path you are on. What you record.
And on the path of exploration, the best qualities of Humanity come into play, allowing us to make new discoveries that excite us and make us better.
5. The Art of Exploration is where science meets creativity, is multiplied, and becomes its own reward.
On an expedition, we find our friends seem smarter, and better looking, the meals more delicious, the sunsets are prettier. This is why we explore.
6. So I would propose to you to get lost from time to time wherever you are.
Strip away the familiar, expose yourself to the elements physically, intellectually, even emotionally.
And once you’ve gotten yourself sufficiently spooked, take a look around, and look with fresh eyes. Perhaps one of us here today will see something new, that no other human being has ever noticed before.
Because exploration is not “out there”.
It’s "in here”.
You remember what that experience was like, the vulnerability. The physiological fear response heightens ALL your senses. And as the heart skips faster, you notice and remember tiny, odd little details. Your pupils dilate. You sniff the air.
Dan Eldon said, “ There is little difference between exploring and being lost.’ Its true. Dan was a beautiful communicator of adventure.
My grandfather made me a notebook and said, with a notebook, if you write or draw what you encountered, you are no longer lost, you are exploring. In recording what you encountered, you become loss-proof. The difference between exploring and being lost is in what you bring back from the experience.
Where does exploration take place today? With satellite imagery of the surface of the planet and robots exploring the ocean and space?
I would argue that it doesn’t matter where you wander, lost or not, but what you notice to the left and to the right of the path you are on. What you record.
And on the path of exploration, the best qualities of Humanity come into play, allowing us to make new discoveries that excite us and make us better.
5. The Art of Exploration is where science meets creativity, is multiplied, and becomes its own reward.
On an expedition, we find our friends seem smarter, and better looking, the meals more delicious, the sunsets are prettier. This is why we explore.
6. So I would propose to you to get lost from time to time wherever you are.
Strip away the familiar, expose yourself to the elements physically, intellectually, even emotionally.
And once you’ve gotten yourself sufficiently spooked, take a look around, and look with fresh eyes. Perhaps one of us here today will see something new, that no other human being has ever noticed before.
Because exploration is not “out there”.
It’s "in here”.
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