I just finished re-reading one of my favorite books entitled Wild at Heart, written by John Eldredge. And let me tell you, it truly is a phenomenal book. The subtitle describes itself as Discovering the Secret of a Man’s Soul, and that is exactly what Eldredge tries to do with this book. Not being typically fond of non-fiction writing, this book truly makes me reassess many of the core values and virtues that I hold close to.
Eldredge starts the book by explaining about how every man was once a boy, and every boy having big dreams—dreams of being the hero, beating the bad guys, conquering unconquerable feats—all the while keeping a cool head and rescuing their fair lady by the end of the fairytale. And somewhere, lost in translation, the dreams go from becoming the hero to ascending the corporate ladder, being a good father, a dutiful husband, all the while living in the same plot of land with the rest of suburbia. While all of these feats are noble ones in their own respect, it shies away from the thought of being daring, taking chances, being adventurous, not knowing what will happen in the future, but not really caring at the same time. Deep in a man’s heart are some fundamental questions that simply cannot be answered at a kitchen table—Who am I? What am I made of? What am I destined for?
Men long for a sense of accomplishment, and too often that deep sense of doing things dutifully and to their fullest can’t be found in a boardroom, a cubicle, or in a corporate meeting. Eldredge says that men need to flee from this, get back to what they long for at their very core—a sense of adventure. His argument can be summed up in one powerful message—
“Adventure, with all its requisite danger and wildness, is a deeply spiritual longing written into the soul of a man. The masculine heart needs a place where nothing is prefabricated, modular, nonfat, zip lock, franchised, on-line, microwavable. Where there are no deadlines, cell phones, or committee meetings. Where there is room for the soul, with the geography around us corresponding to the geography of our heart.”
Wow. Think of it as a young James Dean, with the adventurous spirit of Indiana Jones and wit of James Bond all rolled into one package. What a guy that would be.
Now, I totally understand that this “adventurous spirit” is different for everyone. Certainly, not everyone would want to live in the wilderness, battle grizzly bears, hike the Appalachain Trail, or swim with sharks for the “adventure” and get back to what their heart really desires—this sense of an adventure. An adventure is different for every man. It could include taking a personal day from work and going on a drive, without a care in the world, spending an evening driving away from the city to look at stars for the evening, or writing their deepest thoughts in a blog for the world to read.
Overall, Eldredge calls on men to break up the monotony of their daily lives and to really live a life worth remembering, one that a man can be proud of. Be bold, be daring, be spontaneous, TAKE A CHANCE for goodness sakes.
And what is my adventure? Who knows. But I know after reading this refreshing book negating and opposing what tradition says—go to college, study hard, get internships, graduate, work the 9-5, live a quiet life in suburbia, spend wisely, marry, have 2 children, work until 65, retire, live until 80, have a quiet funeral, have a few people remember you while the rest of the world puts you on a high, dusty shelf, where few would even think about you ever again—is something that I will evaluate in the future. I plan on actively searching for what my true calling is, and how I can go about accomplishing my biggest dreams. While some of the things listed above are experiences that I definitely want to have in my life, it doesn’t necessarily need to be done in an ordinary way. This book urges men to live a life worth remembering—one that is individualized and tailored to what each man considers his deepest joys and desires.
In short, live the life you imagined. And I plan to do just that.
(I know this is sort of a rant, but it really got me thinking how sad it is that men live quiet lives of desperation, and fail to do what their heart really desires. It just really puts things into perspective, and if you read this and want to be motivated to live a meaningful life—you will give this book a try.)
