1/16/2011

Field Report: Homo Afflictus

.

He sees himself as a drifter. He claims no affiliation and lays down no roots, preferring to wander. Like a modern-day Ponce de Leon, he roams the land in search of the Fountain of Youth or the Fountain of Wisdom or the Fountain of Something Else.  Just what he is searching for remains a mystery, even to him. Just… something.  Anything. Nirvana.

Ah, but he is male, after all, and like so many of his gender, he is lost.  Like most males, he is loathe to accept help. It is unlikely that he will turn to another member of the tribe and ask for direction, support or even a sympathetic ear.  As we have noted, he is a male and as the female of the tribe has been heard to say, “It’s a guy thing.”

The problem starts where it usually does, pride and a misguided sense of direction.  He may have a map, but it is likely a map to the wrong destination, the valley where he thinks he will find happiness.  Even if the map were correct, it is doubtful he would ever look at it.  Like most males of the tribe, he follows his instincts.  Had he the right map, and could set aside his hubris long enough to consult it, he would discover that Nirvana is a lot farther north than he thinks.  It lies somewhere between Heart and Mind.

Is it any wonder that he so often finds himself in deep...  trouble?

**********************************

This was written for the Tenth Daughter of Memory.

12 comments:

  1. Oh I know where the inspiration for this came from. Patti this is lovely, true and a great adaptation for the muse . . .I'd better get cracking, my muse has left me.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Asking for directions is admitting defeat. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Welcome, Angel May. It's nice to see you here.

    ReplyDelete
  4. My man is the first of his gender I've ever known to consult a map. Nice write Patti.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nirvana is NORTH? REALLY? Because I've found it to be rather fun ... down here in the South ... although the foliage gets rather thick from time to time ... but it's nice.

    (I do like this piece. Witty and well written.)

    ReplyDelete
  6. well then, i should be stumbling upon Nirvana soon, because i'm often lost between here and there

    ReplyDelete
  7. The map between heart and mind is so vast...getting from one to the other in any time at all is a challenge. -J

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'd be lost without a map on occasion, it has to be said.

    ReplyDelete

Thoughts? I would love to hear from you.