Horizons (Legendary Adventures)

"Beyond this point there be Dragons!"
-Old Mapmaker Legend

The Old Mapmakers had a unique way of describing the uncharted
and unknown expanses that lay beyond the Horizon. They would
Symbolically draw a line on the map that indicated the boundary of
the then-known world and inscribe the following:
"Beyond this point there be Dragons!"
This advised the traveller that the lands and seas beyond this point
were uncharted and contained unknown dangers.
Needless to say, most people heeded the warnings of the
Mapmakers and did not risk travelling beyond these boundaries.
However, every so often a Seeker would arrive whose curiosity
was too strong to be confined to an arbitrary line drawn by a
Mapmaker.
These Seekers enthusiastically ventured beyond the limits of
the then-known world, bravely venturing forth into the Realm
of Dragons. In their Quest into the Unknown they not only
encountered unknown dangers (Dragons), they also experienced
the Marvellous and the Wondrous. These Travellers discovered
Treasures both unknown and unimaginable.
As would be expected, these adventures had a very profound
affect on these Travellers. When they finally did return to their
homeland they returned as a very changed person. And although
these Travellers enchanted the masses with their tales of danger
and discovery, these masses could never truly understand and
appreciate what these Travellers had experienced and learned.
A Rift of Experiences had developed between those who
ventured forth and those who remained behind. The "tempered
excitements" experienced by their countrymen who remained
at home in no way compared with the Legendary Adventures
these Travellers had experienced in the Realm of Dragons.
Although still friends, these two groups could never have the
same "bond" that they once shared. Those who stayed behind
were just as comfortable and correct with their decision as those
who travelled forth. The big difference was in their experiences.
Those who ventured forth experienced Dragons while those who
remained at home could only imagine Dragons.
Once the Traveller, the Seeker, ventures beyond the Horizon of
Familiarity, their adventures and experiences change them
forever. And while the Traveller changes dramatically, those who
stay behind remain pretty much unchanged.
And so it is today. Those of us who leave our homeland and
venture forth to new lands experience the same changes in
ourselves that the Ancient Travellers experienced. As with the
Ancient Travellers, we also look forward to returning to our
homeland to enchant our friends and relatives with tales of our
adventures.
And although these people are interested in hearing stories of
"far away places with strange sounding names", their hearts and
minds belong to their "old neighborhood" and familiar friends.
Our Horizons have expanded while theirs have remained the same.
Although both sides are correct in their decisions, it is we, the
Curious Traveller, who experience that discomforting melancholy
when we return to visit the land of our youth. We discover what
all past Travellers experienced: that although we can go back
"home", we can never return to that free-spirited Home of our
past that lingers as a fond fairy-tale in the deep recesses of our mind.

***If you found this article helpful or informative,
please forward it to other like-minded persons.
Thank you.***


New Age, Spirituality, Religion and Philosophy
© copyright Joseph Panek 2008