Unexplored Territory

 

terra incognita - noun - unexplored territory (Google)

The terra incognita in this life can seem intimidating due to the fact that each of us is quite small and the world, in general, is quite vast. The term itself has a sumptuous history. Used in cartography (map making) for regions undocumented, it was originally seen in Ptolemy's Geography (c. 150) and reintroduced in the 15th century. Today, lay individuals rarely use it. I happened upon it while reading Nabokov's Pnin. He uses it metaphorically to describe the uncharted wasteland that is Pnin's toothless mouth pre-dentures. Naturally since the comparison is quite farfetched and exaggerated, it comes off as being comical, intentionally.  

But let's get back to the initial offering, the terra incognita of it as there is much unexplored territory in the statement. Even if you had all of the wealth on the planet, you probably would not be able to get to every nook and cranny. Some exorbitantly rich people, such as Elon Musk, who is very much the man of the moment, has given up on trying to reach all corners of the planet and has aimed his sights on the stars via Space Ex. Apparently, the infinite terra incognita of outer space is far greater and far more challenging than that on Earth. I've got to hand it to him as he does think large. Yet, for those who think and operate small, there is terra incognita to be found locally. For example, in an effort to entertain ourselves two weekends ago, my daughter and I sought out two unfamiliar parks and visited them. Both reservations of land provided enough in the way of terra incognita and natural wonders to amuse us for hours. So you see, you don't have to vie with Elon Musk to find yourself a stretch of something different to stand on. Of course, he intends to do more floating than standing, but that's besides the point.

The takeaway? A little can sometimes be a lot. On the eve of 9/11, we probably have to think about being grateful for the small as opposed to the vast. 

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