Horace Greeley, the influential nineteenth-century newspaper editor and political reformer, made the phrase above known to millions of Americans--and it remains known to us today. By many accounts, he wrote it largely in connection with the copper rush to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (an area west of the bustling northeast corridor where Greeley lived and worked). I think of these famous words today because I leave for the UP in a few hours, partly to lead a retreat, and partly to spend some time alone kayaking, hiking, and horseback riding.
What is it about "Going West" that holds so much appeal?
Greeley's full quote is as follows: "Washington is not a place to live in. The rents are high, the food is bad, the dust is disgusting and the morals are deplorable. Go West, young man, go West and grow up with the country."
If we treat "Washington" as a metaphor for urban life, then the impulse to go west becomes much more understandable. And, in over nearly two centuries, it is just as relevant.
Many of us crave a simplicity and serenity that is virtually impossible to achieve in the modern city. We're too busy trying to make money to pay our rents or mortgages to focus on character, let alone community; we're too wired in to electronic gadgets to be self-aware; we're too preoccupied with our narrow social orbits to feel linked to nature, with its awe-inspiring beauty and mind-blowing vastness.
Yoga doesn't cut it for me. Give me mountains, trees, and lakes any day. Give me the West. Get me the hell out of here so that I can feel truly alive.
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