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.