Book 2 Post 1

For this reading assignment, I chose The Wayfinders: Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in the Modern World by Wade Davis, which takes readers on a thrilling journey to celebrate the wisdom of the world’s indigenous cultures. I chose to read this memoir because Jessica told me that she liked the first couple of pages of the book when she gave it a quick read. However, the main reason is that, as a USC student, I have difficulty navigating the academic and career challenges that I encounter in a fast-paced university environment. Surrounded by hustle culture, I rarely take time to smell the roses – so this book will hopefully give me a perspective from indigenous cultures to discover a more fulfilling approach to life.

In addition to perspective, I hope to receive many lasting life lessons from the author. The reviews mention that in all the travel that Wade has done in his life, he notices that “It can unite societies, but it is immensely fragile. Thousands of years of adaptations, oral history, and knowledge, can be wiped out within a single generation of ignorance and neglect”. As much as my parents’ lecturing about staying true to my culture may bug me when it doesn’t favor what I want – it would be humbling to understand the importance of preserving it. One review that I particularly liked was that “we don't have to live one way. It puts so much into perspective about the world while remaining hopeful and positive about the future. The goal is to evoke change and insight, not to simply bark at the reader about facts or problems in our modern societies”. I liked this review because I was afraid that this book would tell me to just take a step back from society – which is virtually impossible for me. I would rather learn how to integrate mindfulness into my current life.

I have only read a couple of pages into the book so far, but I have many hopeful impressions from what I have learned so far. The most important lesson is that travel allows for experiencing cultures that have preserved their ancient ways, connecting with their past through nature, myths, and spiritual practices. Also, there is a concept that the ethnosphere, humanity's cultural legacy, is as vital to the planet as the biosphere, but it is eroding rapidly, with half of the world's languages at risk of disappearing within a generation or two.