Tucson, AZ. When a full-time traveler pulls into town, a ritual ensues. Much of it is just shopping and errands. But more importantly, the traveler begins once again to reconstruct a lifestyle, always hoping to improve on the last place.
Metaphor #1. For some reason I never saw the similarity of this reconstruction to something I was "brainwashed" with, as a child. My father, a teacher, would go down to the woodshop and collect sets of four or eight identical pieces of wood, sometimes blocks, sometimes round columns or other shapes. He would sand them off nicely for his two sons. Those were our toys and we ended up with a large box of them. We didn't have many plastic commercial toys or gadgets.
Hour after hour, day after day, my brother and I would build skyscrapers out of these wooden blocks. When the skyscraper reached as high we could reach, we would admire it for 3 seconds, pull a block out of the lower corner, and then laugh with boyish delight at the collapse of the mighty edifice. Then we would start over again, with a slightly different architectural plan.
Looking back on that childhood experience, it was pretty good training for being a full-time RVer. The "wooden blocks" for a traveler consist of outdoor activities, local groups or events, friends, weather, the public library or used bookstores, RV maintenance or improvement, and cost control, not to mention doggie issues. It is more true every year that 'frugality' means staying out of a motor vehicle. At the moment I'm struggling to combine club road cycling with decent camping in the Tucson area.
#2. Although Metaphor #1 might work for some travelers, it probably won't work for the mainstream. (I suppose it's time to add the tedious disclaimer that 'there is nothing wrong with...') When they arrive and set up, the satellite TV dish is their most urgent errand, after getting level. The truth be told, they could survive without being level far easier than without TV.
No wonder that their RV "Dream" uses TV-watching as its model and metaphor. That is why the mainstream RV lifestyle is just "channel surfing with gasoline."
#3. Scanning the bar codes of standard, sight-seeing "products." Go to the visitor's center of places identified by a Rand-McNally interstate map; walk away with all the standard brochures about the standard places. Then go out and dutifully "consume" them. Stay away from anything weird, spontaneous, or individualized. They might be uncomfortable or dangerous. Worse yet, they might be less exotic and prestigious than what your peers consumed.
#4. Randy, over at mobilecodger, is insightful when he preaches the "whirlwind" metaphor for group camping. He is more than capable of speaking for himself, so I won't repeat his work.
#5. The holy prophets of the desert: a shriveled holy man in a loincloth, sitting on top of a cactus, following an abstemious diet, while preaching Downsizing and Simplicity. Modern day St. Simeon Stylites. I've already poked fun of them (and myself).
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Looking for different models and metaphors is an important habit to acquire. Otherwise you might feel unnecessarily frustrated or disappointed when you meet "birds of a feather", only to discover later that the commonality is superficial, and that you are living-out completely different metaphors.
This oversight can occur anywhere in life -- I just happen to be looking at it from the perspective of a traveler. It could occur at work, church, a health club, a political cause, etc.
It goes far beyond disappointment. If you misjudge the other person's metaphor you will waste a lot of time before figuring it out. Then you might start criticizing them, and turn a friendly acquaintance into an enemy. Thinking that you have something in common with an individual separates them out from the 7 billion specimens that really don't interest you. (And even if they did, you have no time for them.) When you finally understand that the commonality was a misunderstanding, you are left with a profound sense of loneliness.
Metaphor #1. For some reason I never saw the similarity of this reconstruction to something I was "brainwashed" with, as a child. My father, a teacher, would go down to the woodshop and collect sets of four or eight identical pieces of wood, sometimes blocks, sometimes round columns or other shapes. He would sand them off nicely for his two sons. Those were our toys and we ended up with a large box of them. We didn't have many plastic commercial toys or gadgets.
Hour after hour, day after day, my brother and I would build skyscrapers out of these wooden blocks. When the skyscraper reached as high we could reach, we would admire it for 3 seconds, pull a block out of the lower corner, and then laugh with boyish delight at the collapse of the mighty edifice. Then we would start over again, with a slightly different architectural plan.
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| Photographic proof (from a sister) that my memory is sexist. |
#2. Although Metaphor #1 might work for some travelers, it probably won't work for the mainstream. (I suppose it's time to add the tedious disclaimer that 'there is nothing wrong with...') When they arrive and set up, the satellite TV dish is their most urgent errand, after getting level. The truth be told, they could survive without being level far easier than without TV.
No wonder that their RV "Dream" uses TV-watching as its model and metaphor. That is why the mainstream RV lifestyle is just "channel surfing with gasoline."
#3. Scanning the bar codes of standard, sight-seeing "products." Go to the visitor's center of places identified by a Rand-McNally interstate map; walk away with all the standard brochures about the standard places. Then go out and dutifully "consume" them. Stay away from anything weird, spontaneous, or individualized. They might be uncomfortable or dangerous. Worse yet, they might be less exotic and prestigious than what your peers consumed.
#4. Randy, over at mobilecodger, is insightful when he preaches the "whirlwind" metaphor for group camping. He is more than capable of speaking for himself, so I won't repeat his work.
#5. The holy prophets of the desert: a shriveled holy man in a loincloth, sitting on top of a cactus, following an abstemious diet, while preaching Downsizing and Simplicity. Modern day St. Simeon Stylites. I've already poked fun of them (and myself).
__________________________________________
Looking for different models and metaphors is an important habit to acquire. Otherwise you might feel unnecessarily frustrated or disappointed when you meet "birds of a feather", only to discover later that the commonality is superficial, and that you are living-out completely different metaphors.
This oversight can occur anywhere in life -- I just happen to be looking at it from the perspective of a traveler. It could occur at work, church, a health club, a political cause, etc.
It goes far beyond disappointment. If you misjudge the other person's metaphor you will waste a lot of time before figuring it out. Then you might start criticizing them, and turn a friendly acquaintance into an enemy. Thinking that you have something in common with an individual separates them out from the 7 billion specimens that really don't interest you. (And even if they did, you have no time for them.) When you finally understand that the commonality was a misunderstanding, you are left with a profound sense of loneliness.
Comments
We strive to make meaning of our lives and, when meaning is not evident, we have to make one up or tend to become rather despondent. I think we humans are just wired that way. It is not for the masses to live in an empty state so we fill it up with something. Any of your metaphors fit but I do like the first one the best. We don't really change all that much from building something up with great rapture and then either knocking it down ourselves or, as adults, it often gets knocked down somewhat to our dismay by life itself. The inevitable playing out of events which we often struggle against and try to prevent but it happens anyway.
So we invent something else to fill in the empty space. Your other points #2-#5 bring a chuckle. "Getting level" is indeed the first requirement of RV folk but everyone else as well. Balance, you know. Keeping one's head on straight.
There are probably two main groups. Those who have accepted and settled in to having finished with nature's meaning for us.....producing the next generation....and just turn on the TV or vist the malls for its trivial entertainment value vs. those who need to invent a more glorious plan and see themselves as heroes forming a New World Order. Then there seems to be those in the middle who perhaps just accept the struggle of their reality, the occasional discomfort, grief, and reluctant acceptance but wish to make the best of it anyway.
Obviously, we live in a physical world. We have to do something with our bodies every second of the day. We also have physical needs. Much bonding is along these lines, including your fellow cyclists.
Many mutual relationships are built along "You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours." Very understandable and potentially advantageous to both parties. It really helps survival.
In reference to the commonality you speak of in your last paragraph, it is the existential angst that is the bottom line. That is the ground of all human existence, accepting please that words/language are only concepts and never the real thing. Is it possible to ever actually share this with another person? IMHO, this conversation is an example of sharing and also about as limited as the experience can be. I mean, when we die, no matter our loved ones are holding our hands, we still die alone. I think this is what you mean by "a profound sense of loneliness" and I agree though, when understood for what it all is, it isn't a bad thing at all.
My apologies if this sounds like I'm talking from the ozone layer.
That statement really resonated with me. I translated it to, "If what is important to them IS NOT important to you, then you'll have little of any significance to talk about."
It's all about values. I find Beauty in the simplest of things, yet most only find Beauty in their minds. Which leads me to live a life more like your #5 than most. :)
And by the way, you are "in the clouds" today more than usual. Both good and bad.
Loneliness is a choice... and it grows with every "box" or "metaphor" you assign to people you meet along the way. Most travelers have many sides and are more complex than what meets the eye. if you are patient, commonality might show up down the road, so to speak. Yes, it may require going out of your way... like taking a chance on a common boondock that doesn't exactly suit your taste. But it's good for people in general to shake up routines before they become isolating ruts.
Box Canyon (jilted) Mark
The reader might be able to read between the lines of your comment and tell that there's a little office politics going on at the RV camping store.
But don't feel jilted. I just got into town and had several projects to work on. And I'm a better judge than anybody else about whether a campsite is physically acceptable for my rig. Remember I'm trying to maintain a low risk, low cost profile until the IRA piggy bank becomes available a year from now.