Perhaps I'm channeling my intense lack of interest in my research seminar on American road culture, but I've recently been pondering. This post is just sort of a mental adventure, and it sort of serves as the opposite of Elizabeth's post. Does the imminent desire to pack up and go adventuring suggest some form of idolatry? What I have isn't good enough, so I should give up everything to go find something better. I can appreciate the need to appreciate the world around me, but much of travel literature uses such romantic imagery that it vaguely (or sometimes, outright) suggests worship. Many motorists journey for spiritual goals, but perhaps rejecting our surroundings for personal growth is just another way to retard its development.
Then again, perhaps I just focus on personal contentment as the first step to spiritual development. Then again, part of development and growth is change, which often requires a catalyst. Maybe the act of journeying on the highway readies one for inner growth, and I'm just trying to throw the pejorative label of idolatry on travel to add further negativity to a class I dislike. Or possibly there's bits of truth within the idea.
