There was once a great movement towards enquiry, when the world was young there were questions to be answered, and undiscovered places to be explored and conquered. Before satnav and internet maps, brave young men set out into the unknown with nothing but a sense of adventure to guide them. Not all survived stormy seas and hostile natives but those that did often became addicted to leading an uncertain life, and the danger of pursuing that uncertainty. Gide wrote “It is only in adventure that some people succeed in knowing themselves”.
In all of us we have this thirst for the unknown, the ‘what ifs’ and ‘why nots’ of our life. The road not taken, the dream not fulfilled or the goal not reached. Not being where we thought we would be doesn’t have to define our lives; it’s not a reason for regret. Having walked through a different door or taken an alternative path means we may not have forgotten old dreams but we may have created new ones, realistic ones, and achievable ones.
Annie Lennox sang “This is the book I never read, these are the words I never said, this the path I will never tread, but these are the dreams I’ll dream instead”.
Looking back on what might have been is something we all do from time to time whatever age we reach. To still be excited by uncertainty, to build new dreams, start new adventures and to look forward to what we may yet become, is what defines who we are right now, and reassures us that, that brave young person who started out is still in there.
Title quote by Helen Keller