Who are your superheroes? What kind of stories have you always loved? Why do I ask? Because we secretly aspire and wistfully long to be like our superheroes and we make life choices based on the stories that have inspired us. We try to build a sense of self, a legacy of life that corresponds to our superheroes and our favorite stories. At least some of us do, I hope so.
From my earliest days, I have loved reading tales of adventure and mystery. Mountaineers and mountains, explorers and wilderness, athletes and sports have made my heart throb with a sense of wonder and longing. Much later in life, science and scientists were added to this list. In a way, I feel my life would have been way different if I wasn't trying to emulate in ways - small and not so small - the ideal and idea these incredible people and their life represented.
I read a story in my childhood that has stayed with me to this day - that of a mountaineer trapped in an avalanche. This story introduced me to a new way of life - a life filled with courage and endurance, adventure and exhilaration, action and beauty. Even as a child I understood this was no ordinary story and that this mountaineer was no ordinary woman. I could sense that such life was not the norm and most of us would drift towards a life lot less adventurous. Might I also add lot less fulfilling and lot less meaningful which I discovered much later in life to my utter horror and shock.
As a child, there is a certain unbeatable allure to the idea of climbing a mountain, hiking into a jungle, sailing into an ocean and confronting the unknown. A child's mind does not contemplate dangers and death; it only sees adventure and thrill. Over the years, as I groomed myself to be a "successful person" in the "fulfilling world" of cubicles and a 9 to 5 routine, I found myself admiring these athletes with a even bigger zeal. I began seeking books from the library with a frenzied rush. I read about mountaineers, explorers and scientists. I felt my brain coming back to life from the dungeon of numbness that's the forte of a meaningless life.
As I read more, I realized that part of the reason I liked this special creed was because they so brazenly and defiantly walked the road less traveled. That they had the courage to go against overwhelming odds and that they saw the world differently and had unique notions of success and failure was the silver lining and the ultimate bottom line. Its fascinating to ponder what makes them such epic trailblazers - where do they their desire, willpower and the grit to carry on with their endeavors.
Most of them are great readers, writers, painters, intellectuals and philosophers. They live under the stars many a nights, they endure storms and several other dangers of the wild, excruciating cold and sweltering heat, hunger and body aches. In many ways, the odds are against them - they risk a lot but why? Most of them make minimal money and they are seldom in the limelight. So, why do they do it? They live in vans or camp in national parks, while many might cringe at such a notion, this is their idea of being free and of pursuing the road to a higher and a truer self. This is their calling and they refuse to shy away from it. They make sacrifices and push their bodies and mind to achieve new frontiers. They keep it simple and do not get mired in the noise of the world.
I am a minimalist and I do not fit in. I get it from this elite creed that is not impressed by the pleasures of a materialistic world. That all objects you horde and all the accolades you seek are meaningless if you are not following your calling and embarking upon your own adventure. That the true meaning of life is not found in wealth of the world but in the wealth of the soul. There has not been a bigger truth that I have believed in and any other way of life that I have seeked for the past few years. I am also a skeptic and forever wondering things like why does the universe exist and what happened before the big bang, do we live in a multiverse, is time travel possible, could wormholes be for real, is their life out there. I ache to discuss and write about these things. We live in a universe that is the biggest mystery I have ever known. We also live in a universe that is so strange and counter-intuitive that I have not known a stranger thing. I have read books by quite a few world renowned physicists, and to me, these have been revolutionary and some of the most meaningful and memorable experiences of my life. That their quest is the ultimate quest of knowledge of our cosmos and that our cosmos has the most fascinating, elegant and bizarre story to tell is what's so special about physicists.
I read a lot, run as much as I can and try to write as best as I can. I look for stars, planets and the moon each night. I love to go on long hikes and camp in national parks. I wish to climb mountains and catch every meteor shower, observe the milky way galaxy and other star clusters. In short, to be in the crisp, cold air, to have twigs and snow underneath my feet, and stars above, to study the cosmos and understand its mysteries is the dream life. Why? Because, to me, that's the life of a superhero, and like them I have come to believe that letting your spirit soar, your heart roar and your mind grow is the only real success.