We commonly approach risk through planning and undertaking adventurous journeys. The dictionary points to such journeys as “a course of action inviting risk” and most importantly having an outcome that is unknown. Physical and physiological questions often arise, such as: will we make it?, what if something goes wrong?, why am I afraid? True adventures help us develop resilience as we navigate these questions and go on journeys.
In light of the novel corona virus, Spanish educator Gregorio Luri has described the world's current situation as an extraordinary “moral collective adventure”. We have been witnesses to astonishing examples of ordinary people embarking on adventures amidst the most ordinary settings, challenging the since implicit limitations of lock downs across continents. Elisha Nochomovitz ran 42Kms, which is the equivalent of a full marathon using his 7-meter balcony in Toulouse.
Opera singer Amy Jansen is currently in training to climb Everest in one day using her staircase, planning to attempt her particular ascent on the 16th May. You can follow along and take part in some of her training alongside her through her website.
Another example is how local Scouts in Madrid have taken on the challenge to collectively walk 1,588km on their balconies – the distance between their city and their sister Scout group in St Albans, England.
The materialisation of these apparently non-transcending adventures, which without doubt mirror the outdoors from the indoors, bespeak the significance we attribute to our natural surroundings, yet evidence how uncertainty and challenge can still be sought so close to home, even at home! As we slowly edge past these times and enter new territory, I believe that our campus and local environments will play a bigger and more significant part in educational experiences outside of the classroom in the coming academic year at ICS.