What Is An Adventure?

So I've been thinking long and hard about what the word adventure means to me. It is one of those words that means something slightly different to each person. As I pondered over what it means to me I tried to avoid cliched definitions such as an unusual experience or a meaningful journey. And finally, after many long hours of thinking hard, and harder, and harder, and then slightly less hard I finally devised a definition that works for me.

An adventure is any process of physical actions that lead to a new level of worldly understanding.

Fancy words they are. But what do they actually mean? I shall elaborate.

Remember when you were nine years old and your parents took you to Disney World. You rode the rides, got your picture taken with Mickey Mouse, and had an awesome time. It was an unusual experience because you had never been there before. It might have even been a meaningful journey. But if you didn't gain new insight about the world you live in it was not an adventure, despite how much you thought it was.

Now remember when you went back a few years later, and because you were older you picked up on things you didn't pick up on when you were younger. You saw the trash on the ground, saw that Mickey Mouse was just some creepy sweaty guy in a costume, and saw how overpriced everything was. You realized that Disney World, like many things in this world, is an overrated facility designed to part people from their hard-earned cash. Congratulations Young Grasshopper, you've just had an adventure.

An experience does not  have to lead to cynicism to be considered an adventure. If an experience provokes one to seek knowledge, then that experience has led to a new level of worldly understanding, therefore it is an adventure.

For instance, when I was in the fifth grade my parents took me to see the play Cyrano de Bergerac. Having never seen a play before, I was both entertained and intrigued. Having become intellectually curious about the art of theatre, I checked out books about Shakespeare from the library, wrote a few short skits of my own, and got involved with a local community theatre. Thus, seeing Cyrano de Bergerac was an adventure for me. However, for everyone who saw it and then went home with an unaltered mind only had an usual experience (unless of course they attended plays regularly). What is an adventure to one person might not be an adventure to another.

I'm having an adventure writing this blog entry. I've never had a blog before, so I really don't know what to expect. This is an experience that is leading me to new level of worldly understanding in terms of writing for an online audience.

So in the comments section I would love for everyone to share their views on adventure. Do you agree? Disagree? Care to share an adventure of your own? I look forward to reading everyone's comments.