"Et ignotas animum dimittit in artes"

"and he sets his mind to work upon unknown arts"

- Ovid, Metamorphoses, Vii., 18.

“…they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future” (Krakauer 57). Jon Krakauer could have not stated such truth in any other way. We have been taught the “right” and the “wrong” way of living, from pre-birth to our death beds, and this unquestioned way of living seems to succeed in each growing generations. The adventurous spirit within us has been altered to conform into society’s standards. The institutions of family, religion, economy, government, and education have definitely helped shaped such conflicted societies. The expectations to accept such imperfect ideals, are irrational and a poison to one’s soul. Living in the United States for six years, I have learned and experienced about conformity and society’s omniscient presence within a person’s identity and life more than ever in my entire life in the Philippines. Maybe because before these past six years, I never questioned such ideas. I was a child who felt secured within the unclear explanations of life, who was satisfied by the chains of lies, and who accepted anything that comforted me. But now I question. Can free will be discover within the confinement of society? Or is my life within out of my reach and onto someone’s hands? How can one achieve self-actualization within a secure and unchanging future? Am I ready to confront such challenges? I am supposed to be prepared for the journey into the wilderness of life?