“You could be speared to death tonight.”

     (Out in the jungle in Ecuador. Talking with an elderly man named Kata. He grow up in the jungle with his tribe and family. Towards the later days of his life did he start interacting with the more westernized world.)   

  

 As he began telling of how his life used to be, I could see his eyes drifting back and coming to life recalling his former lifestyle--the hunt, the sounds of nature all around him, and that feeling of fear always there, knowing that he could be killed by a spear from a different tribe. Now that he lived in what we call “civilized”, a part of him had died. All the advances that had been made over the years didn’t matter to him at all. He spoke with a hurt in his voice, recalling how it used to be and having to face how he lives now. All the adventure had been taken from him. The best way I can relate what I saw is to say he had been tamed like an animal. It was like a part of him had been killed when he became westernized. He said that he wanted to go back to his tribe, but he couldn’t. His tribe would kill him for trying to return to them. They would know he wasn’t one of them anymore because of the smell of soap and shampoo on his skin and hair. What hit me so hard was all the “civilization” he had tasted didn’t even come close to comparing to life in the jungle. I asked him what was one of his happiest moments in life. My question was translated, and I came to find out that in his language there isn’t a word for happy or for thank you (thankful). But Kata told stories about hunting with his friends in the jungle. They brought back flashes of memories to him, and he remembered that many of his friends were no longer living. The way he talked about hunting with his friends in the jungle made something inside of me awaken. He didn’t express any emotion or talk passionately. He spoke with a look that showed he wasn’t bluffing. He simply expressed what life was like for him. He had tasted both worlds, and he preferred the way of the jungle.

We asked him if we were in a dangerous place staying here. He began to tell us of the Tigrus tribe and how six months earlier there was a white family who had moved out into the jungle not too far from where we were. That tribe came up on them and killed them all with spears--except for the child who they took with them. Kata explained that they would do the same to us. They would kill us for being on their land. He would try to protect us, but he would most likely die trying. He then informed us that he had seen their footprints close by a week prior. He said they leave their tracks where people can find them, so people know that they have been there. When Liney was translating all of that she was laughing. She said, “I don’t laugh because it's funny but because I’m nervous.”

Kata said,“You could be speared to death tonight.” The hut got silent. Each teammate looked to each other to try to find some comfort after what Kata had just said. He continued to speak and told us many more things that afternoon. To say the least, every one of us slept with at least one eye open that night. I have to say it is a unique feeling to know that you have the chance of being speared to death. The stories Kata shared weighed so heavy on my heart.

I stayed up late that night sitting next to the fire inside the hut, thinking over what Kata had said. I daydreamed (at night) about what it would have been like to live in the jungle with a tribe. I imagined the feeling of going out with friends to hunt for a boar or any other animal we might see, what it would be like to hunt with a spear, and how different it would be then hunting with a gun.

The adventure Kata was talking about couldn't be felt by simply hitting a game-winning shot in a basketball game, scoring touchdowns in football, or compare to the thrill of playing a video game. What Kata was talking about I have never done. I knew that I had never tasted the adventure that he was talking about.

After talking with God for a bit, I went to sleep that night with this realization. Men are made for adventure. If a man doesn't live in adventure, then a part of him is dead. I realized that I need it like I need food. Adventure is part of what makes a man. If I don't have it, then at best I'll be a boy and waste my life doing meaningless things. Without it, I'm like a tamed animal longing to get free. It reminded me so much of a quote from a movie that so many men love:

“Every man dies... not every man really lives.” - Brave Heart

When a male hears this quote, he knows it's true. It so goes to the heart of a man that he doesn't even second guess it. After reflecting on the conversation with Kata and God, I came away with this...

Adventure is what makes a man really live.