De Botton says “journeys are the midwives of thought”. A fitting metaphor describing the way in which journeys provoke ideas. What it is about this metaphor that is truly fitting is that two sides of the truth are illuminated. What one immediately sees in this statement is hope, a claim that journey will encourage the traveler to grow. But when considered along with all of its implications, this metaphor comes with as a warning. The journey does not do the thinking for you, it only helps you along the way. For even when a mother is assisted by the best of midwives a baby may yet be still born. This outcome may be the consequence of uncontrollable circumstances or that of simple negligence. Regardless, the metaphor holds true; a journey can bring fourth a flood of ideas, intellect, and inspiration… or it may not. Sometimes that “not” will be the consequence of circumstance and sometimes the traveler them self is honestly at fault for not opening themselves up to the inspiration that one can receive from a journey. De Botton also makes it clear in his section “On Anticipation” that journey alone is not the only factor at play here. It is ones experiences prior to the trip that shapes much of how they are affected by the journey.
Take, for example, the story of Duc de Essientes. Essientes has his mind changed wildly by his journey and this change in mind, this form of thought new to him, is so heavily due to his experiences before his journey. We see a man who lives in seclusion become so inspired by the writings of Emily Dickinson to experience england that he accidentally does so before even making it there. It was Dickinson’s descriptions of British life that allowed Essientes to see his homeland through new eyes. Essientes’ journey, though short lived and not far reaching, seems to have been a life changing one. If nothing else, he has been made happier by his experiences.
It is soon after that, in the sixth section of part one, that de Botton describes a negative traveling experience that he had had. He craftily describes the beauty of the place he was visiting just to continue on to explain how it was all lost on him. A combination of circumstance and negligence led to his dissatisfaction and anxiety. The circumstance being a sore throat and the negligence being his failure to leave the stresses of life at home.
In many cases I have found myself filled to the brim with ideas during travel. One example that stands out in my mind is the first time I visited Barcelona. Before I left I gained an interest in a particular subset of digital art called Glitch Art. I researched artists and spent a good deal of time appreciating the art form. Creating this sort of art was not something that I was considering or even feeling compelled to do. In fact, I wasn’t feeling compelled to be creative in any way and I hadn’t for a number of years. Journeying to Barcelona sparked my creative impulse; the do-it-yourself nature of the city, the magnanimous organization, the bolstering of humanity. It was these things that thrust me into thought. It was these elements of the city that inspired me. After that trip I began to approach art with a new found sense of responsibility. Now feel that it is my duty to create in order to continue to generate change in the world.
There have been other journeys on which I have found nothing. At the age of nine my father took me to his homeland, England. We visited some of the most beautiful parts of the country and I met lots of people that were very important to my father. I was offered an experience that could have changed my life and I, in effect, turned it down. I was a very sad and emotionally distraught child. Nearly everything caused me a great deal of anxiety and because of that I harbored a deep hatred for everything including myself. I brought this immature hatred with me on my journey and I blinded myself to anything that may have changed my outlook.
I feel that everything one could learn from all of this is incredibly cliché and could be stated in a series of prescribed statements. Thats not to say that it is not of value, for it surely is. It is simply to say that what there is to learn from this is simple. To get the most out of journey one must be present in the moment. They must show up with themselves ready to experience that moment. And even then, when one is putting forward an honest effort to experience that moment, a sad truth explained in the metaphor, “Journeys are the midwives of thought,” may come to fruition and mere coincidence may hamper any possibility of emotional or intellectual growth.