On Wandering

J.R.R. Tolkien once said: “Not all who wander are lost.”

I agree with him.

Not all who wander are lost. But the majority of Self-Sabotaging Men who wander are precisely that—lost.

According to Google, which uses Oxford Languages, wander is defined as: “to walk or move in a leisurely, casual, or aimless way.”

To be aimless means you’re without an aim. And if you’re without an aim, then you don’t know where you’re going; you don’t know where you are.

That’s a problem.

But don’t take it from me, take it from someone way smarter than me. Dr. Jordan B. Peterson said: “If you don’t know where you’re going, then you don’t know what you’re doing.”

In other words, most who wander are lost.

Default loves it when you’re lost because you don’t know what you’re doing; which is tough because most Self-Sabotaging Men have no clue where or what they’re doing or where they’re going.

The writer’s words wander on the blank page.

The pianist's fingers wander on the keys.

The sprinter’s mind wanders on the track.

Default knows it’s only a matter of time before you start sabotaging yourself back to the people, places, and things you do know. You self-sabotage until you know where you are; until you know what you’re doing.

Being stuck in a self-sabotage mode masquerading as success is easier, less frightening than wandering; than going all-in on your gift of writing, singing, or painting; than finding your way in the world—finding The Way.

Not all who wander are lost, but most are.

Default devours those who wander.