Have you seen God in His splendors, heard the
text that nature renders?
(You'll never hear it in the family pew.)


The simple things, the true things, the silent
men who do things -
Then listen to the Wild - its calling you.


They have cradled you in custom, they have
primed you with their preaching,


They have soaked you in convention through
and through;


They have put you in a showcase; you're a
credit to their teaching -


But can't you hear the Wild - it's
call you.


Let us probe the silent places, let us seek what
luck betide us;


Let us journey to a lonely land I know.
There's a whisper on the night-wind, there's
a star agleam to guide us,


And the Wild is calling, calling...let us
go. --- Robert Service



I see natural and spiritual truth in this poem. I don't think you can hurt a man worse than by making him "domestic", making him submissive, and making him tame.

If this poem does not resonate deep in the psyche of a man then that person has never experienced his true makeup. That part of him has been killed. It needs to be brought to life. Unfortunately it's in losing what you think is important that you really find what is important.

We sell out for harmony with man when our soul is longing for harmony with it's creator. Why settle for for crumbs when a table with steaks and a full buffet is available.

Mark wrote: "Unfortunately it's in losing what you think is important that you really find what is important."

You've got it right, but I would not say its necessarily "unfortunate". It is a necessary thing to overcome something, in order to win. It is in losing that often we win. It is in not pushing to the front of the line, that makes one "first". Rather, it is being the last one out of a sinking airplane, who shows his true character.

The Bible says, "Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it". Christ defined for us the meaning of true "meekness", and modeled love as no one has done. If this is what can be called "wild", that is what I seek.

The idea of running from convention has been tried in different generations. The Prodical Son would be a case study of one way of going about it. Try the 60's in an old bus as another. Jon Kraukuer's book Into The Wild as well as Robert Service himself would add to the picture.

A man can't seem to really be at rest in this life till he gives himself to a calling of serving his family. His wife will bring some "convention" to the equation. The art of raising children will necessitate it. That men have a problem of "knuckling under" is shown in how they "cop out" from the convention and can ignore this part of life with jobs away from home, overseas and elseware, allowing their children to be raised by their wives. In later life they express regrets.

notg, your argument would be more convincing if you would distinguish between wanton foolish living, and living "wild at heart", or "wild" from the heart. Your inclusion of the "prodigal son" as an example of what I'm expressing was illegitimate, and your treatment or interpretation of "Into the wild" is narrow, and maybe even insensitive.

My post was much more about recognizing and validating the wild call in a man's heart rather than placing judgments on all those who have responded to, and expressed this call in destructive ways due to ignorance, stupidity, etc. etc., and then using their failure as a proof that we should never venture far from the picket fences and potlucks, or more accurately put, never venture far from the following:

They have cradled you in custom, they have
primed you with their preaching,

They have soaked you in convention through
and through;

They have put you in a showcase; you're a
credit to their teaching -

My post was ment to merely fence off the selfish twist the restless nature of a man would like to follow. I was not contradicting your inspiration.

There is really good book out called Wild at Heart, I believe the author is John Etheridge, that puts into perspective this very subject.

notg,

You don't understand the context of wild in the poem.

Why do you immediately think living wild is what the prodical son or the 60's crowd did. They lived entirely for the pleasure of the senses. That is effeminate living...not living wild.

I would also call it call foolish living.

Wild living is living from your heart the way you were created to live. You and your creator living in such close harmony that you can trust him completely knowing he has your best interest in mind at all times.

Just a question.

How do you suppose Abraham who had no written bible, had no church to attend and had no preacher to teach him, and had no brethren with whom to fellowship, was called the father of faith?

Do you think it is possible to live the same way Abraham lived?

"notg,

You don't understand the context of wild in the poem."

I don't?

"Why do you immediately think living wild is what the prodical son or the 60's crowd did."

I'm sure THEY thought they were living wild-at least for awhile. And probably in the context of the poam as well. Have you studied Robert Service at all?

"I would also call it call foolish living."

Amen

"How do you suppose Abraham who had no written bible, had no church to attend and had no preacher to teach him, and had no brethren with whom to fellowship, was called the father of faith?"

He had the faith to believe that there was a God and believed enough that he acted when he understood God wanted him to act.

"Do you think it is possible to live the same way Abraham lived?"

Sure do.

Biography of Service:

http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/sixties/HTML_docs/Texts/Narrative/Duffy_Service.html

What's the problem notg? I don't see anything nasty about his life.

"What's the problem notg?"

Why do you ask this question? I'm not following you.

"notg, your argument would be more convincing if you would distinguish between wanton foolish living, and living "wild at heart", or "wild" from the heart. Your inclusion of the "prodigal son" as an example of what I'm expressing was illegitimate, and your treatment or interpretation of "Into the wild" is narrow, and maybe even insensitive."

Scott, some of the most "nature" as well as "find their own way" guys that I know are also the most unreliable when it comes to woman and kids. I'm not sure that it has to be this way. When reading your post it struck me that what the poem is pointing to is the feeling that has motivated the majority of the world's wonderlust as well as philosiphizers. The examples I gave are men that moved out of unfullfilling normal and tried something else.

"My post was much more about recognizing and validating the wild call in a man's heart rather than placing judgments on all those who have responded to, and expressed this call in destructive ways due to ignorance, stupidity, etc. etc., and then using their failure as a proof that we should never venture far from the picket fences and potlucks, or more accurately put, never venture far from the following:"

I get that. Take the kid from "Into The Wild". He may have been close to finding the inner validation and manhood he thought he was capable of when his life was snuffed out by what in some folks minds was "bad luck" and in other minds "stupidity". The prodigal son found out that being on his own was not as cool as he thought, especially when he had to make his own way, and returned. Robert Service took off from home in a similar motivation, but managed to pull off a talent, that to the world at least, brought him a label of "success".

Some forgo dreaming for duty; some avoid duty for dream.
Some only move when they're prodded; and some only float in the stream.