Meditations on the Road - Part Two

The saying “Wherever you go, there you are” is attributed by many to Confucius.  Whether or not Confucius said it first, or ever, it’s been repeated often over the centuries, and it’s profoundly true.  What does it mean?  It means, of course, that you can’t escape yourself.  The most common approach to the pursuit of happiness by people who are unhappy or think they should be happier is to change something external to themselves – they get married, have babies, change jobs, move into a bigger houses, etc.  In many cases those changes promote greater happiness, but often they don’t, or the improvement is temporary.  Happiness is derived largely from within.  When change is primarily external, the person making the change still has to live with him/herself and whatever perceptions and attitudes he/she possesses, including those that induce unhappiness.  That’s my opinion, anyway - purportedly shared by Confucius.

What does this have to do with “the road?”  As you know by now if you’ve read my previous posts, I expect to be traveling a lot this year, primarily by car (or truck, to be precise).  I’m tempted to think that the very acts of driving around and fly-fishing for months will make me a happier person.  But if my argument above holds water, it won’t.  Fortunately I’m already very happy, but the risk is that I’ll have more time alone with myself than I’m accustomed to, and I might find out that I’m not great company.  That’s not the outcome I hope for.   Road trips necessarily generate new experiences for the tripper, and new experiences in turn generate new insights and awareness.  But there is no guarantee that either the experiences or the insights will be pleasant.  Remember the infamous road trip in the movie “Animal House?”  Think about it.

I’m not really too worried about this.  When I’m alone in my Silverado or drifting down a river in my pontoon boat or kayak, I don’t expect to dredge up, from the darkest recesses of my mind, any dirt that I haven’t already thoroughly processed.  For one thing, I expect to be distracted by the fresh scenery and the constant anticipation of catching fish, which are major sources of adrenaline and endorphins for me.  And to further mitigate the risk that too much alone time will transform me into Jack Nicholson’s character in “The Shining,” I’ve invited several friends to accompany me for more than half my journey.  But the point is, when you launch yourself into unfamiliar territory, you can’t be sure that what you’ll find there will always be good.  That’s what makes a road trip an adventure and not a cake walk.  I’m up for it!

What do you think?  How would you feel about taking a long road trip?