Friday, October 9, 2009

Juvenile!

From 'Exploring Animal' by Ben Finney and Eric Jones, a chapter in the book "Interstellar Migration and the Human Experience":


"Man is the animal that has professionalized exploration. It is the juvenile of most animal species who do the exploring...before settling down on a limited geographical range from which as adults they hardly stir. Modern man...follows a similar pattern of juvenile exploration--of the waterholes and sacred places of the desert or of the sights and experiences of touring Europe or backpacking in the Sierras--before settling down to the routine of adult life. Yet some adults do not give up their exploratory bent and in fact they make a career of it..."

"Ethologist Konrad Lorenz...notes how humans retain a range of juvenile behavioral traits into adulthood...at least some of us retain our childhood curiosity into maturity."


Below, a juvenile explorer of the skies, Amelia Earhart; the photo is from NASA history archives. I know, I know, they're not using 'juvenile' in a pejorative sense, it's just a little funny.

2 comments:

Flynn Renard said...

Somehow that post was exactly what I needed to hear/read at this very moment.Very applicable to my current state.

Flynn Renard said...

I'm sure you were already aware, but they believe they have found her resting place. She has always been such an inspiration. Here's the link, if you are interested.

http://news.discovery.com/history/amelia-earhart-resting-place.html