Since I started planning to attempt the Pacific Crest Trail this year, a lot has happened. Obviously, it's a decision that has some big implications, and I had plenty of time to consider and reconsider. The time had come for me to make the leap and notify my employer of my plans to leave, and just a few weeks before my chosen deadline, I recieved a promotion.. with a pretty hefty salary increase. I went back into deliberation mode. Maybe I should stick it out a bit longer...
Salvation came in an unexpected form. I was sitting in a meeting at work, one of the craziest I'd experienced in my time there. One of these guys in the meeting was just ranting for several minutes, and my attention began to wander. Outside the window, just as my attention drifted, a large Condor soared past, riding the thermals high above. I've always thought, if I could be a bird, it would have to be the sort that soars like that. What freedom.. And like that, my deliberation came to an end. I would be leaving for the trail, no more hedging back and forth!
Turns out, there are archetypes for the Eagle and the Condor spanning from a tale/prophecy of several different indigenous peoples of the Americas. In this tale, the Eagle represent that which is masculine, intellectual, and industrial; the Condor represents the path of heart and that which is intuitive, regenerative. The prophecy speaks of a period of time where the Eagle mind dominates human societies, leading to destruction of the natural world. There is the hope that eventually, the Condor and Eagle will once again fly together in the sky, with the spirit of renewal once again gaining foothold in the world.
I've spent the last two years chasing the dollar in one of the most modern industrial engineering jobs. It goes back further than two years if you count the time I spent in college and grad school getting a physics degree. I am very much the child of an Eagle based societal mentality. I've found that, while the accumulation of money definitely creates a comfortable life, for me it leaves something to be desired. That's really why I'm doing this hike. I've got to see for myself what there is beyond the walls of this lifestyle we've endorsed - I'm chasing after those thermals with the awakened heart of a Condor.
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