Mark this One!
Pursuit of happiness has the ability to bring out the best in us. It inspires us to dream beyond our current realities and drive for our goals in life. However, in that pursuit, we are often challenged with realities of our surroundings. Those challenges are sometimes imbedded in our relationships with others that are close to us. They can at times lead to compromise, that overwhelm us and even give rise to a need to find another place of comfort and security. Most of us have a place to escape; that very special place that is so unique to one's self in one's own solitude. That special place is often resides one's past experience of happiness, often in childhood, where our happiness was truly carefree.
In Home Place, it is clear that Ronald's unique place of happiness comes from the security and comfort of his collection of planes in his old room, but why does Ronald need to be here? Gil appears to understand this feeling and may have even come to the realization that his own pursuit for happiness has been at the compromise of his son's happiness. Gil was at one with the land. "What Gil never confided to his wife was that he felt more present in the land than he did in his own flesh, his own body. Apart from it he had no real existence. When he looked in a mirror he stood at a great distance from what he regarded, but with the land it was different. All that he had emptied of himself into it, he recognized." When Gil gave the most prized piece, Home Place, to Ronald as a wedding gift. He stated had hoped that Ronald would begin to have some good luck. In a way, it seemed that Gil wanted Ronald to be himself - a very successful landowner with a family that would take care of the family land...and an extension of Gil himself, in fact. Ronald appeared to have little desire in Gil's interests. Perhaps it was out of respect that Ronald had even married and accepted Home Place. But his actions suggest that he'd compromised his own future happiness and simply trapped what was left in his escape of his childhood plane collection.
I am personally just in the early days of my life. At nearly 18 years of age now, I am beginning to appreciate that the pursuit of my happiness comes at the expense of many compromises. In my wildest dream, I see myself as an NBA superstar. But I also realize now that this talent may be beyond my physical attributes. I must compromise and choose education to pursue my alternate life dreams forward. I do wonder, however, if this is reflection of meeting my parent’s expectations. I just hope that in the path forward, I don't find myself shooting hoops when I'm 40 to always escape and wishing I had done something different. This is perhaps why I need to make sure that I am pursuing dreams that I consider to be my own.
In Home Place, it is clear that Ronald's unique place of happiness comes from the security and comfort of his collection of planes in his old room, but why does Ronald need to be here? Gil appears to understand this feeling and may have even come to the realization that his own pursuit for happiness has been at the compromise of his son's happiness. Gil was at one with the land. "What Gil never confided to his wife was that he felt more present in the land than he did in his own flesh, his own body. Apart from it he had no real existence. When he looked in a mirror he stood at a great distance from what he regarded, but with the land it was different. All that he had emptied of himself into it, he recognized." When Gil gave the most prized piece, Home Place, to Ronald as a wedding gift. He stated had hoped that Ronald would begin to have some good luck. In a way, it seemed that Gil wanted Ronald to be himself - a very successful landowner with a family that would take care of the family land...and an extension of Gil himself, in fact. Ronald appeared to have little desire in Gil's interests. Perhaps it was out of respect that Ronald had even married and accepted Home Place. But his actions suggest that he'd compromised his own future happiness and simply trapped what was left in his escape of his childhood plane collection.
I am personally just in the early days of my life. At nearly 18 years of age now, I am beginning to appreciate that the pursuit of my happiness comes at the expense of many compromises. In my wildest dream, I see myself as an NBA superstar. But I also realize now that this talent may be beyond my physical attributes. I must compromise and choose education to pursue my alternate life dreams forward. I do wonder, however, if this is reflection of meeting my parent’s expectations. I just hope that in the path forward, I don't find myself shooting hoops when I'm 40 to always escape and wishing I had done something different. This is perhaps why I need to make sure that I am pursuing dreams that I consider to be my own.