When I travel I like to read books about the place I’m visiting. On a recent trip to Maui, my honeymoon in fact, I took along several books on Captain James Cook. He was one of the greatest explorers of all time, whether you love or despise him. He discovered the Hawaiian Island in 1778, and was ultimately slain in 1779, “his body was disemboweled, baked to facilitate removal of the flesh by the natives,” which is just my kind of titillating beach reading.
In reading “Blue Latitudes” by Tony Horwitz, I noticed some modern maps tracing the Endeavor ‘s routes. In many cases these maps illustrate what looks like a lot of back and forth, up and down, and zig-zagginess. Certainly not a straight line to his next discovery.
c. 2002 Jeffrey L. Ward
I found that an interesting metaphor about discovery. It’s not a straight line. It’s not a known path. It’s uncharted. And to get anywhere, you have to pursue a course. You’ll most likely get off course, find a way back on track, or change course completely.
Therefore, I feel compelled to publish a Discover category in this blog. The idea is to learn how we think about and pursue the unknown through exploration and adventure, and what the path might look like along the way.