Are You an Adventurer or an Explorer?
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Are you an adventurer or an explorer? Some people are by nature adventurers, they deliberately seek out new experiences, take risks, and enjoy the thrill that comes from facing and overcoming fear. Like Captain Kirk of the Starship Enterprise, their mission is to boldly go where no man has gone before for the arousal involved.
Others tend to the other pole, they're explorers. Explorers also seek out new experiences. It's just that their motivation is different. Explorers want to learn about and understand what they find. Adventurers seek new experiences because they are driven by excitement, the thrill of it. Explorers seek new experiences to satisfy their curiosity and and indulge in fascination. Another way to look at it, adventurer = courageous, explorer = curious.
I think to be an adventurer, you really need to have a basic trust in the universe. Adventure seems to be like, say, riding a roller coaster. Or better yet, white water rafting. It's like you're taking that ride for the thrill involved. Have you ever been white water rafting? It's so cool. I mean, all the elements of an ideal attraction are there.
There you are, on the raft facing down river. A patch of white water fast approaching. Canyon walls seem to rise up directly out of the water limiting your view. Bright sun makes the river sparkle and shine. You know you're safe because you have your raft mates and the guide there with you. You know your guide knows the river and will direct you through the experience in ways that keep you free from harm.
Then the excitement, the arousal takes over. Your heart starts beating faster. You begin to take deeper breaths, readying yourself for the ride to come. The first patch of white water is always the most challenging. You're facing an unknown, and even though you've got your raft mates, and the guide with you, the excitement really starts to build.
Then suddenly, your in it! Surrounded by rapids, the raft pitches and bucks like a wild thing. The guide barks out the orders, "Paddle Left!" "Paddle Right!" "Now, straight ahead. Go for it!" The shock of the spray when it hits you can be pretty intense. That water was snow only a few hours ago. It's cold!
While you're navigating the rapids, your focus narrows to what's right in front of you. Your awareness becomes totally present. What's happening right here and right now consumes you. You suddenly find yourself utterly absorbed with the task of dealing with the river.
And then, just a suddenly as you entered the rapids, you're through and floating down a stretch of calm water again. You can regroup, and think to yourself, "Hey, that was FUN!" With the satisfaction of knowing you mastered fear, it's easy to find yourself looking forward to the next patch of rough water.
Somehow, for me anyway, scuba diving puts me more into the explorer mode. It's so compellingly fascinating. My curiosity goes into overdrive. There you are, floating free and weightless, able to move in any direction with ease. And there's so much to see! So much to learn about! The ever changing patterns of light and dark the sunlight makes on the sea floor are just breathtaking. A friend of mine told me, 'Diving is like being a visitor in another world.'
Thinking about it takes me back to the dive I made at Jade Cove in California. It was late spring, we started the drive to the dive site just before sunrise. Man, I hated getting up at 4:30, but later,
I was so glad I did.
We finally got to Jade Cove about 8 or 8:30. The sun had just come up over the mountains to the east. Compared to the Rockies, they're just hills. But they rise right out of the ocean and reach altitudes of 1,500 feet or so.
Out in the surf, two huge boulders of jadeite leaned lazily against each other. Kind of like two drunks, holding each other up. When a wave surged through, between the boulders, the sun would catch it. And the water would flash a brilliant, emerald green for a moment. It was breath-taking. A little farther out, just beyond the surf zone, there was a kelp forest.
Did you ever dive a kelp forest? It's absolutely awesome. The water was crystal clear. And, typical, for central coast California, pretty nippy. The temperature was probably 55 to 60 degrees. It sure made you glad you had a quarter inch neoprene wet suit on.
Once we swam out the the kelp bed, it felt like I'd entered a completely different world. I was seeing a whole new reality for the first time. I could see the enormous, brown fronds swaying gently in the surge. Bright flashes of rock cod would zoom by. And, we ran into a group of sea lions. That was the best part because they were every bit as curious about us as we were about them.
You haven't lived until you find yourself face to face with a sea lion. I was swimming along agog with the beauty surrounding me, when all of a sudden, this face magically appears about a foot in front of my mask. Dark eyes, calmly regarding me. And I swear, the sea lion looked like it was struggling to suppress the giggles. I know I was. I about lost it, not a good idea 30 feet down.
So, based on this brief description, what are you? An Adventurer or an Explorer?
Others tend to the other pole, they're explorers. Explorers also seek out new experiences. It's just that their motivation is different. Explorers want to learn about and understand what they find. Adventurers seek new experiences because they are driven by excitement, the thrill of it. Explorers seek new experiences to satisfy their curiosity and and indulge in fascination. Another way to look at it, adventurer = courageous, explorer = curious.
I think to be an adventurer, you really need to have a basic trust in the universe. Adventure seems to be like, say, riding a roller coaster. Or better yet, white water rafting. It's like you're taking that ride for the thrill involved. Have you ever been white water rafting? It's so cool. I mean, all the elements of an ideal attraction are there.
There you are, on the raft facing down river. A patch of white water fast approaching. Canyon walls seem to rise up directly out of the water limiting your view. Bright sun makes the river sparkle and shine. You know you're safe because you have your raft mates and the guide there with you. You know your guide knows the river and will direct you through the experience in ways that keep you free from harm.
Then the excitement, the arousal takes over. Your heart starts beating faster. You begin to take deeper breaths, readying yourself for the ride to come. The first patch of white water is always the most challenging. You're facing an unknown, and even though you've got your raft mates, and the guide with you, the excitement really starts to build.
Then suddenly, your in it! Surrounded by rapids, the raft pitches and bucks like a wild thing. The guide barks out the orders, "Paddle Left!" "Paddle Right!" "Now, straight ahead. Go for it!" The shock of the spray when it hits you can be pretty intense. That water was snow only a few hours ago. It's cold!
While you're navigating the rapids, your focus narrows to what's right in front of you. Your awareness becomes totally present. What's happening right here and right now consumes you. You suddenly find yourself utterly absorbed with the task of dealing with the river.
And then, just a suddenly as you entered the rapids, you're through and floating down a stretch of calm water again. You can regroup, and think to yourself, "Hey, that was FUN!" With the satisfaction of knowing you mastered fear, it's easy to find yourself looking forward to the next patch of rough water.
Somehow, for me anyway, scuba diving puts me more into the explorer mode. It's so compellingly fascinating. My curiosity goes into overdrive. There you are, floating free and weightless, able to move in any direction with ease. And there's so much to see! So much to learn about! The ever changing patterns of light and dark the sunlight makes on the sea floor are just breathtaking. A friend of mine told me, 'Diving is like being a visitor in another world.'
Thinking about it takes me back to the dive I made at Jade Cove in California. It was late spring, we started the drive to the dive site just before sunrise. Man, I hated getting up at 4:30, but later,
I was so glad I did.
We finally got to Jade Cove about 8 or 8:30. The sun had just come up over the mountains to the east. Compared to the Rockies, they're just hills. But they rise right out of the ocean and reach altitudes of 1,500 feet or so.
Out in the surf, two huge boulders of jadeite leaned lazily against each other. Kind of like two drunks, holding each other up. When a wave surged through, between the boulders, the sun would catch it. And the water would flash a brilliant, emerald green for a moment. It was breath-taking. A little farther out, just beyond the surf zone, there was a kelp forest.
Did you ever dive a kelp forest? It's absolutely awesome. The water was crystal clear. And, typical, for central coast California, pretty nippy. The temperature was probably 55 to 60 degrees. It sure made you glad you had a quarter inch neoprene wet suit on.
Once we swam out the the kelp bed, it felt like I'd entered a completely different world. I was seeing a whole new reality for the first time. I could see the enormous, brown fronds swaying gently in the surge. Bright flashes of rock cod would zoom by. And, we ran into a group of sea lions. That was the best part because they were every bit as curious about us as we were about them.
You haven't lived until you find yourself face to face with a sea lion. I was swimming along agog with the beauty surrounding me, when all of a sudden, this face magically appears about a foot in front of my mask. Dark eyes, calmly regarding me. And I swear, the sea lion looked like it was struggling to suppress the giggles. I know I was. I about lost it, not a good idea 30 feet down.
So, based on this brief description, what are you? An Adventurer or an Explorer?
