Logan Miller
Essay 2: A
Distant Night (Nature)
A
week or so ago, I was given the opportunity to spend the night in Newport News
Park. I slept inside of a sleeping bag inside of a tent in 30-degree weather.
It was a very cold night, yet I was happy to be there. I realized that no matter how terrible
the physical situation may be, the refreshing of the spirit is much more
important. In class we had talked about the ‘distanciation of the real from
itself’ and long distance hiking can remove the pressure of modern societal
expectations and allow one to find purpose in life. While I was gone for one
night and did very little hiking, I believe I tasted a bit of the
distanciation. Though my experience was not in full effect, I believe that removing
walls protecting you from physical circumstances over a long period of time can
melt away at the frozen soul and allow one to chip away at the bits of them
that are not true. Long distance hiking is one of many things on my bucket list
and I hope to experience the distanciation of the real from itself so that I
may become more self-aware. The day after my camping trip I spent much time in
reflection and had a realization about my future: that I have a calling to
serve in the military. The physical strength than is gained from removal of
barriers in nowhere near as drastic as the strength gained from the removal of
emotional and spiritual barriers.
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