Logan Miller - Finding Place (Landscapes of the Sacred)

Logan Miller

Essay 12: Finding Place (Landscapes of the Sacred)

            Belden Lane writes, “In short it is the nature of human beings that they canot get enough sense of place. He then quotes Simone Weil who says, “To be rooted is, perhaps, the most important and unrecognized need of the human soul.” These comments deal with the nature of placement in our world; a sense of belonging. Humans seek contentedness in placement and will throw their lives away to find it. Purpose drives what we all do and when we realize that our purpose has grown dry, we realize that the well was not deep enough. It is for the reason that we find a “why” that is deep enough to sustain our human nature. The ability to find this purpose is a rare a difficult skill to acquire. Often it requires a removal of one’s self from the current pursuit; a ‘distanciation of the real from itself’. As discussed in class, it is necessary to escape the market place and seek revelation in the mountain to acknowledge true purpose. This distanciation, whether on a cross-country bike ride or a long distance hike, can allow one to experience their true self. Though after some internal strife and wrestling with their current state of internal affairs, often times a pilgrim’s journey can lead to revelation of purpose.