A Journey Revisited

A Journey Revisited

When a person endeavors to undertake a journey it usually means that that person is moving from one point to another using any number of available means of transportation.  When the journey is completed, the change in location - the actual displacement that took place, is often of very little consequence despite leagues that may have been traveled.  Yet the person has grown immeasurably because of the journey that took place. 

The growth that happens is a function of the journey itself rather than the arrival at the final destination.  There are scores of tales involving such journeys and the trials that people had to overcome in order to complete their journey.  The Odyssey, The Princess Bride, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, The NeverEnding Story, Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, Don Quixote, The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin, and The Lord of the Rings are just a few of such tales. 

In journey-type tales, the hero sets off to accomplish some arduous task which usually means traveling to some distant point.  By the time he arrives at the endpoint, the journey itself provided the much need strength that was necessary to accomplish the seemingly impossible task that at an earlier time loomed ahead. 

The characters are all different, and their journeys were all made for varying purposes.  But the fact remains that the journey changed them by more than just their location.  As often happens in the course of the journey, trial, tribulation, and adversity rear their ugly heads.  What may have started as a seemingly simple journey now transforms into so much more.  Instead of merely reaching the endpoint of the journey, the character now has to overcome these additional challenges.  It’s at this point where our hero is tempted to give in and to quit, but as he digs deep for motivation and strength he begins to adapt, receives special (sometimes supernatural) help from others and/or from objects, perseveres, and then at last he conquers.

Sometimes at the end of the journey the hero can look back and identify a pivotal moment in the journey that made all the difference.  Other times it is much harder to identify such a moment.  Perhaps more often than not, the changes happened subtly, the growth comes in small increments, but in contrast to the start the growth is significant.  The journey has created a new man. 

My journey continues…