“Journey: travel or passage from one place to another, to travel over or through, the daily course of the sun across the sky (obs.)”

This word moves easily from the mundane to the profound, to an over-arching literary and mythical symbol. The most mundane of our journeys are often expressed in a simpler word; trip, errand or run as in “a trip to the Cities, an errand to the Bank, or a run to the store”.  Journey takes on a bit more weight as “a journey through the woods, to Grandmother’s house, over the mountains or across the country”. What all of these images have in common is a beginning and an end. What’s in between is not to the point: A starting point and a destination. But, as we already know, that’s just a part of the story:

After all, we’ve all heard “It’s not the destination. It’s the journey.”

I will share highlights of my own life’s journey and how the unknown and unexpected have shaped my path. There have been key mentors in my study of philosophy and core experiences that have given me insight into life and the role of politics in living community. Allowing ourselves to be guided in and by the moment and accepting our limited viewpoint as the foundation for growth and understanding is the heart of Emerson’s message in finding “the journey’s end in every step of the road”.

“To finish the moment, to find the journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Monthly Soul Matters Theme: What does it mean to be a community of JOURNEY?

Topics: Journey