⛵ VOYAGE #10 — Solipsism & Adventure

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⛵ VOYAGE #10 — by Nick Jaffe — Feb, 22, 2021



V O Y A G E
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Solipsism & Adventure #10

         Welcome to edition #10 of VOYAGE: In my last newsletter I wrote about home — in this edition, I want to write about something even closer: The self.

I've had two distinct reviews for my book which used the word ‌solipsism in reference to my writing, which has made me think a lot about some things.

I don't want to delve too deeply into the philosophical meaning and history of solipsism, as I'm ill equipped on the subject. However, a cursory and simplistic definition of the word from the perspective of a human quality, is that of self-centredness. This is not to be confused with narcissism which is more of an extreme love of oneself.

In its first use, this Amazon reviewer writes:

... Solipsism, from Latin solus, meaning 'alone', and ipse, meaning 'self'. Alone, in a small boat, Nick plays with the very real epistemological tension between the self and the external world. Solipsism posits that knowledge of anything outside one's own mind is unsure — as is certainly the case with any ocean crossing: Weather and sea-states, timelines, and conditions of the material world; the voyage punctuates how an external world and other minds (enigmatic love interest, friends of friends who suddenly change the condition of the relationship, remote Islanders in the wake of natural disasters, his own father in the same) cannot be known and might not exist outside the mind, as we are continuously thrust back into the internal and tumultuous discovery of the sailor's self.

In its second use, for the Feb edition of the magazine Yachting World UK, Julia Jones writes:

... A book which inspires one to ponder the difference between cruising and voyaging. Nick Jaffe had little money and minimal sailing knowledge when he began to dream of small boats and the vast sea. He craved space and self-discovery. Jaffe had left his native Australia to work in Europe. Now he conceived the idea of sailing home via the Atlantic and Pacific with an overland USA crossing. He acquired Constellation, a Contessa 26 and achieved his vision through his own tenacity and the kindness of strangers. It’s a solipsistic venture but his honesty enables the reader to buy into the dream. We’re rewarded with some profound insights and passages of great beauty.

While both wonderful and thoughtful reviews, the use of the word and observation of solipsism within my pages, made me ponder my changing perception and interest in the world, as well as myself.

When I left on my last expedition, there was something missing which I couldn't identify. Or perhaps, I could identify but couldn't resolve, or more likely didn't want to resolve or wish to admit: It was a sense of self-centredness. Even on the tail-end of my solo voyaging all those years ago, I really questioned the point of it all. Somehow I forgot those questions and became wrapped up in the logistics and thrill of attempting to drive a car across multiple continents: Much like an engineer hyper-focused on a small problem and forgetting the bigger picture of their work.

As I ease into my 40th year, I've begun to care less and less about myself, my thoughts, feelings and generally the greater world relative to my self. And it's refreshing. I've thought a lot about the stages of life, simplistically breaking them down through a combination of my experience and observation:

  • 0-21 years old -> the period where everyone else around guides you (if you are lucky). Learning. Extreme self-centredness.
  • 21-30 -> the period where you absorb the world on your own terms and experiment with identity and your place. Learning. Growing consciousness beyond self.
  • 31-40 -> the period where you put all that learning into practice. You learn less and output more. High productivity. Experimentation on a larger scale.
  • 41-50 -> the period where you use your life, experience and networks to engage and uplift more than oneself. Perhaps a beginning of greater selflessness. Less working on the wrong things and more working on the right things. Increased flow.

True adventure is in many ways solipsistic by nature — it is a test of ones mind and inner strength against an unknown outer force which may or may not exist. The outer force is uncaring and isn't fussed about the success or failure of the adventurer — it is all in ones head anyway — the peak of Everest or the tip of Cape Horn care very little about pointless ambitions. I think Yvon Chouinard coins adventurers as, "Conquerors of the useless."

One of the things people find most fascinating about those who take risks and explore, is not always the endeavour at itself, but what was discovered along the way and what can be brought back to share.

This is one of the prime reasons to encourage adventure of any kind — for to learn deeply about oneself through adversity has many knock-on effects, even if they are not apparent at the time: The act of adventure is solipsistic by nature, yet there are numerous delayed lessons and benefits beyond the self.

One cannot ever quite grasp the quantum effects of their doing — the energy they put into action reverberates around the universe, touching objects and souls as it travels in ways we will never truly comprehend. The point is, it's important to actually be doing and pushing forward mentally and physically, because it's quite impossible to inject energy or dint the universe through inaction. Making things happen always feels like sailing upwind in a gale, because the inertia against your actions is the collective energy of inaction, by those who are afraid to be themselves. Beyond purely material and procreative reasons, it seems to me that exposing the core of energy within us to the world is likely the primary reason for our very existence.

Growth is like a seed: It germinates from the inside out.

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Recent outputs

  • I've been working on a motion vignette for The Stand Alone, a small cabin in Tasmania.
  • I shot a little bit of underwater motion footage for Japanese TV (The NHK) as part of a larger piece out in May.

Recent inputs

Elsewhere

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Reach out

If there is something you'd like me to riff on in the next edition or delve into further personally — simply reply to this email.

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Nick J