0005: ADVENTURES ARE UNDERPINNED BY DELUSION

Adventures Are Underpinned By Delusion

349 words, < 2 minutes

What is a reasonable adventure? Is biking from Sweden to Mt. Everest and then attempting to climb to the top unreasonable? Not for Göran Kropp. We have different definitions of what is a reasonable adventure. All adventures begin with an idea about what might be possible, not necessarily what is reasonable.

Opinions of reasonableness are defined by personal experience. When something is unknown, there isn’t any evidence to support the reasonableness of the idea. The rational response is to assume that the idea is unlikely to succeed. Without evidence, experience, or imagination every idea seems less possible. Common sense says to stop before starting, but where does that get us?

We can’t learn what we already know, so testing the unknown is the only way to explore what might be possible. There is no learning without risk.

This is why adventures are underpinned by delusion. Adventures are a rebellion against the familiar and the common. To embark on an adventure is to suspend disbelief and push against the boundaries of reason. Adventures involve risk and looking beyond what has been done, and perhaps what others say can’t be done.

Of course, delusion can be taken to the extreme and can lead to a less than positive outcome. Regardless of the story, we tell ourselves, carrying a monkey on our back while climbing a snowy mountain in our underwear probably isn’t going to work out well in the end.

Success requires both preparation and belief that we will rise to the occasion.

The belief that we can succeed is required to keep moving forward. Every day we unconsciously assume that things will be OK in the future and we make plans accordingly. Unlike everyday life, an adventure is a conscious and deliberate step into the unknown.

What’s next? Who knows. An adventure is something that is about to happen. We don’t know what will happen, and the only way to find out is to suspend the reasonable voices, try, and learn something along the way.

The unreasonable adventure and a little delusion are how we find the best in ourselves.