Through the Brazilian Wilderness - by: Theodore Roosevelt

            

Synopsis: Roosevelt’s popular book Through the Brazilian Wilderness describes his expedition into the Brazilian jungle in 1913 as a member of the Roosevelt-Rondon Scientific Expedition co-named after its leader, Brazilian explorer Cândido Rondon. The book describes all of the scientific discovery,scenic tropical vistas and exotic flora, fauna and wild life experienced on the expedition, as well as the exciting human dramas which occurred during the expedition.

            “Speak softly and carry a big stick,” Words by which the 26^th US President, Theodore Roosevelt, lived by tell us to be cautious and non-aggressive, but to be prepared for violence. Not only did he apply this in his political life, but in all of his endeavors, especially in his expeditions. One of his greatest accomplishments as an explorer, he ventured into the Amazon and surveyed the “River of Doubt” alongside Brazilian explorer Cândido Rondon for the first time, which he later recounted in his famous novel “Through the Brazilian Wilderness”. Such and extraordinary endeavor was met with great obstacles and shortcomings, but Theodore Roosevelt pushed onward with the heart of a true explorer akin to the first people to venture into the Atlantic Ocean from the Old World. As a man of science, his intentions when undertaking this expedition were purely scientific in the sense that he was there to survey the wilderness and record any new findings he might see along the way, but he had an arsenal at the ready because he knows from experience that nature is a lethal beauty. Because he took this trip at the age of 55, after leading a life of great vigor, one can see how his perspective on things does not shift significantly throughout. Also, he was a man of scientific inquiry and had his mind open to new experiences and this journey was more of the objective kind. Nevertheless, Theodore Roosevelt encountered many situations in which his metal was tested, both physically and mentally, which shaped his whole journey. Also, he met a great variety of people along the way who in one-way or another influenced both of his journeys: internal and external.

Good morning, and in case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!

            I can’t believe it’s been more than four months since this whole thing started. I remember when I started creating this blog. I had no clue as to what to do with it. First thing I needed to do was decide on a title. The first thing that popped in my head was “Odyssey”. Next, what to do since ‘tis but a word? For one reason and another the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey came to mind and well the rest is history. After I had the title down, I needed to spruce it up a bit. Since the word odyssey was in the title, it seemed appropriate to make it the theme of the whole blog and that is why I chose a drawing of The Odyssey as my background. So, I had a title and background, but something was clearly missing. “Of course!” – I screamed in my head. How could I not attach epic music to my blog? It’s so obvious. That’s when I went ahead and spent the next hour trying to attach a music file to my blog. The only way I managed to do it was to put it on autopilot and without any option to deactivate. I even forgot how to take it off so if the constant epicness of my blog is annoying you, you have my sincerest apologies.

            At first, writing these blog posts was not easy in the slightest. I’d spend an hour, maybe an hour and a half just thinking about what to write. I guess, much like any skill, writing takes practice. After the first few blog posts, things just flowed through me like water in a river. It got to a point where I had fun writing these posts because I always tried to find some humor in them and later, when I had to decide which picture or video I was going to attach to the post, I’d start laughing and found myself enjoying most the time spent doing this work. Like many things, it takes getting used to in order to feel comfortable and get the most out of the experience. I very much wanted to embellish my blog a bit more, but I’ll be damned if I am not blog-incompetent. For about two hours, I tried creating a new page on it to no avail. Maybe this is my handicap. Either way, I hope that anybody who reads this has enjoyed going on this ride with me the same way I have. Thank you for taking time out of your day to hear me ramble on about things.

Six Degrees of Separation

Throughout this journey, I’ve been a part of a group called Six Degrees of Separation. Many don’t know where this name came from. When we were discussing which name to give ourselves, we searched for things related with the number 6 because we were comprised of six members in total. One of the results that came up was a mathematical theory called Six Degrees of Separation, which states that 6 or less other people can connect two people to each other anywhere in the world. It may seem unrelated to the theme of Journeys, but every journey has its elements. There is no way to journey through life without connecting with other people, and this undeniable truth is what brought us together as a group and why we chose this name.

            Truth be told, I mostly dislike working in groups because there tends to be problems in communication or somebody doesn’t do much, but this time it was different. Everybody pitched in when needed and we got the work done. The reason we worked so well together was probably because we felt comfortable with each other and every time we had to do something we never argued. It seemed pretty effortless. I remember so many times when we were laughing and I’d look towards the other groups and they where so quiet and serious as though they were on jury duty. Everybody has their own way of working and to each their own, but at least we enjoyed each other’s company. Now, I’m not trying to judge other groups because I may very well be comparing our highlight reel to their behind the scenes, but it’s just my perspective on this whole journey of ours.

            All in all, I can’t complain about this whole experience. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that I enjoyed it greatly. There comes a point in this journey through College where classes get repetitive and stale, but spending most of this class in a small group discussing and getting to know each other has been a blessing. As I write this I notice that I’m making it sound very corny and whoever reads this might feel the urge to cringe, so cringe away my friend because this is how I feel. In the end, I am grateful for my time in this group and if you guys are reading this, thank you.

P.S. You can play a game based on Six Degrees of Separation called: Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. The object of the game is to try and connect an actor or actress to Kevin Bacon in 6 connections or less. You're welcome.