< P > T h e w r i t e r s j o u r n e y i s p a v e d w i t h b u m p y r o a d s , s h a r p c u r v e s a n d a l o t o f d e a d - e n d s . I f y o u w r i t e t o l i v e y o u a r e p r o b a b l y p a y i n g t h e r e n t . I f y o u l i v e t o w r i t e , p r o b a b l y s o m e o n e e l s e i s p a y i n g t h e r e n t . H a v i n g d o n e b o t h I b e l i e v e t h a t i f y o u a r e d o i n g w h a t f u l f i l l s y o u , n a t u r e w i l l s u p p o r t y o u a n d y o u w i l l s u c c e e d . T h e t r u e b l e s s i n g , h o w e v e r , i s w h e n y o u a r e f u l f i l l e d s i m p l y b y t h e a c t o f d o i n g i t . < B R > < B R > I o n c e i n t e r v i e w e d a B e n e d i c t i n e M o n k a t h i s a b b e y i n B a l t i m o r e , M a r y l a n d . A n a m a t e u r s c u l p t o r , h e i n v i t e d m e t o s e e h i s s t u d i o i n a s h e d b e h i n d t h e m a i n b u i l d i n g . D u r i n g o u r c h i l l y w a l k t h r o u g h t h e b a r e M a r c h g a r d e n s , I a s k e d h i m w h a t w a s t h e g o a l o f h i s m o n a s t i c l i f e ; w h a t d i d h e h o p e t o a c c o m p l i s h w h e n h e c o u l d s e r v e s o m a n y s u f f e r i n g p e o p l e b y b e i n g o u t i n t h e w o r l d . A h a n d s o m e , s o f t - s p o k e n m i d d l e - a g e d m a n w i t h a h a p p y f a c e a n d a n i n n e r l i g h t , h e r e p l i e d , I t i s n t t h e g o a l . I t s t h e j o u r n e y . M y l i f e s j o u r n e y i s i n w a r d a n d n o l e s s d i f f i c u l t t h a n y o u r s . I n o u r f e w h o u r s t o g e t h e r h e g a v e m e m u c h t o p o n d e r a b o u t j o u r n e y s a n d g o a l s a n d t h e v a s t d i f f e r e n c e s b e t w e e n t h e t w o t h i n g s w r i t e r s m u s t d e a l w i t h i n f o r m a t i o n a n d w i s d o m . < B R > < B R > F o r e x a m p l e , w h i l e i n f o r m a t i o n i s t h e j o u r n a l i s t s l i f e l i n e , i t i s t h e j o u r n a l i s t s r e s p o n s i b i l i t y t o g e t i t s t r a i g h t . W i t h m y r i a d m e a n s o f g a t h e r i n g i n f o r m a t i o n t o d a y , g e t t i n g t h e f a c t s r i g h t s h o u l d b e r e l a t i v e l y e a s y . T e l l t h a t t o D a n R a t h e r . M a y b e i f < I > C B S < / I > h a d n t r u s h e d t o g e t t h e s t o r y , t h e y w o u l d h a v e g o t t e n t h e s t o r y s t r a i g h t . T h e f i c t i o n w r i t e r a l s o h a s t o g e t t h e f a c t s s t r a i g h t . A s t o r y t h a t t a k e s p l a c e i n s e v e n t e e n t h c e n t u r y J a p a n m u s t t a s t e , f e e l a n d s m e l l l i k e t h e p e r i o d . T h e w r i t e r h a s t o v i r t u a l l y l i v e t h e e x p e r i e n c e w h i l e h e o r s h e i s w r i t i n g a b o u t i t . T h e o u t w a r d j o u r n e y i s t h e r e s e a r c h ; t h e i n n e r j o u r n e y i s b e y o n d v e r b a l i z i n g . < B R > < B R > J o s e p h C a m p b e l l d e f i n e d t h e a r c h e t y p e o f t h e h e r o i n < I > T h e H e r o W i t h a T h o u s a n d F a c e s . < / I > G e o r g e L u c a s t o o k f r o m < I > T h e H e r o s J o u r n e y < / I > a n d g a v e u s < I > S t a r W a r s < / I > . A l l a r e i n n e r a n d o u t e r j o u r n e y s . < B R > < B R > I f i n d e e d l i f e i s a j o u r n e y , t h e w r i t e r s j o u r n e y i s f r a u g h t w i t h i t s o w n u n i q u e o b s t a c l e s . W r i t e r s a r e e i t h e r d e e p i n c o n t e m p l a t i o n w i t h t h e i r m u s e ( w r i t i n g ) , s l a y i n g t h e d r a g o n ( r e w r i t i n g ) , s e a r c h i n g f o r t h e H o l y G r a i l ( a g e n t o r p u b l i s h e r ) , c o n f r o n t i n g i n n e r d e m o n s ( r e j e c t i o n s , e g o ) , b a t t l i n g t h e d a r k s i d e ( s c a m a r t i s t s ) . I n < I > S t a r W a r s < / I > , L u k e S k y w a l k e r h a s h i s Y o d a a n d O b i - W a n f o r w i s d o m a n d c o u r a g e . I n < I > T h e M a t r i x < / I > , N e o h a s M o r p h e u s a n d t h e O r a c l e . W h a t d o w r i t e r s h a v e ? H o p e f u l l y , o u r i n t u i t i o n w h e n w e l i s t e n t o i t a n d o u r p e r c e p t i o n w h e n w e r e o p e n - m i n d e d . < B R > < B R > W r i t e r s c o n s i s t e n t l y b o r r o w f r o m o t h e r w r i t e r s , s o e x c u s e m e i f I q u o t e D r . W a y n e D y e r . < I > W h e n y o u c h a n g e t h e w a y y o u l o o k a t t h i n g s , t h e t h i n g s y o u l o o k a t c h a n g e . < / I > A c t u a l l y h e b o r r o w e d i t f r o m s o m e o n e w h o d i e d a f e w t h o u s a n d y e a r s a g o . B u t n e v e r m i n d . < B R > < B R > I n m y e a g e r n e s s t o g e t a m a n u s c r i p t p u b l i s h e d , i n s t e a d o f r e l y i n g o n m y o w n i n s i g h t , I r u s h e d t o j u d g m e n t a n d a l m o s t e n g a g e d a l e s s t h a n h o n o r a b l e l i t e r a r y a g e n t . T h e d i s c o v e r y m a d e m e a n g r y . W h e n I b e g a n r e c e i v i n g e m a i l s f r o m o t h e r w r i t e r s w h o h a d t h e s a m e e x p e r i e n c e w i t h t h e s a m e s h y s t e r s , I b e g a n t o s e e t h e h u m o r i n i t . M y n a r r o w - m i n d e d p e r c e p t i o n o f t h e i n c i d e n t g r a d u a l l y o p e n e d t o a p a n o r a m a . I t s i n t e r e s t i n g h o w t h e l a r g e r p i c t u r e t e n d s t o r e v e a l h o w s m a l l a n d i n s i g n i f i c a n t a r e t h e c h e a t s a n d t h e d e c e i t f u l . B u t s t u f f h a p p e n s o n e v e r y o n e s j o u r n e y . W h e t h e r c r e a t u r e s f r o m t h e i m a g i n a t i o n o f a g e n i u s , o r o u r o w n u n c e r t a i n t i e s o n t h o s e s l i p p e r y b e n d s i n t h e r o a d , t h e r e w i l l a l w a y s b e t h e d a r k s i d e . W e c a n n o t k n o w h o w n e a r o r f a r t h e g o a l . W e d o k n o w t h a t i n f o r m a t i o n w i t h o u t w i s d o m i s u s e l e s s . A n d i t ' s t h e j o u r n e y t h a t m a k e s u s w i s e . < / P >
Author Bio:
Susan Scharfman
A writer since childhood, Susan Scharfman's working life began with several years at CBS News before entering the Foreign Service of the United States. As a Foreign Service officer she served at embassies and USAID missions within Europe, Asia and Africa, as well as in the agency's Washington, D.C. press office. Now a private citizen and novelist, she is researching her next book, and is a writer/editor.
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