Terra+Incognita

__Terra Incognita__ If asked whether or not you could enter a place completely shrouded in darkness to the point where visibility is zero and then without hesitation break into a full sprint, could you do it? Realistically such an act would frighten most people and by simple logic it should, any number of bad things could happen and the world we live in has taught us to fear the unknown. It is the nature of man to be cautious in the face of mystery and has been so since the birth of our race. My mission of late has been to fight back against nature and conquer my fear, thus controlling my emotions lest they control me. By merely travelling a few hundred feet from my home I was able to simulate and come face to face with the force that can turn men into monsters. I came to many conclusions as I finally decided to go through with my plan to put myself in a situation where through deep concentration I could achieve a sense of isolation that would cause many to turn away. The night was black and starless with temperatures reaching subzero ; I put on a hat, a pair of new gloves , boots , a heavy jacket and jeans because snow pants are for children and the weak. I trudged through the snow and up to the edge of the dark woods that marked the end of my family’s property. Before entering the woods I stopped and took a few deep breaths as my thoughts wandered to memories of how little I cared for these woods. The air was still but I could hear wind passing through the treetops. In the threatening cold I stood for what seemed like hours, imagining myself deep in unknown woods far from home and to my admittedly strange delight I felt a pulse of fear ripple up my spine and carried on. Fear has always brought about the worst in humankind, for we will resort to nearly any means regardless of the consequences to avoid facing it. In fear of losing the sun the Aztecs would carve out the hearts of their living captives on the day of a solar eclipse to appease the bloodlust of their god. In present day we are appalled by this, but how could they know that its warmth would return regardless of their actions? The fact is they couldn’t, and it is this unknown that drove them and others like them to perform unspeakable acts. When I reached a suitable clearing I began the next phase of my experiment to test whether or not I possessed any courage at all. I spread my arms and fell backward in full knowledge that no gym partner would be there to catch me. I had no idea if the snow would be deep enough to break my fall and this inspired legitimate fear in me. This almost caused me to laugh out loud at myself and today’s humanity ; we think so little of true bravery when it is not called for. I was nervous about the mere possibility of being slightly discomforted in a fall when there are men fighting in the name this country who can’t take a single step without a very real chance of death, and yet they step and do so much more every day. When I hit the ground I was miraculously unharmed as the snow formed a rather comfortable womb in the shape of my body. I remained motionless and poured all my thoughts back into the unknown forest. I stared up through the trees that could have come from anywhere into the black sky that could have been seen at any point on earth. I was alone ; I thought of how regardless of the improbability a moose, bear or any other danger could appear and was shocked at my reaction. In my comfortable spot in the snow with the cold piercing anywhere it could I stared at the blank sky and was for a brief period at peace. It was nothing like I had imagined for it was by no means beautiful. I was surrounded by dying trees, cloudy skies and placid air. The beauty of the experience came from the realization that fearing the unknown, the most powerful terror in human history, is laughably silly. I discovered that it is literally impossible to know anything at all. Given what we’ve discovered about the human mind we as a race can see that any feeling we have or experience we remember can all be an untrue. Our entire reality is based on suspicion for we can only suspect what is there and what is not. My short trip into the woods taught me that humankind need not possess the courage to storm a beach or enter a burning building to conquer the unknown ; we simply must embrace what we do not know and do all in our power to make peace with imperfection.