The Making Of 'Comfort Zone'

An elaboration for those who understand and those who don't understand the poem.

It is in man's nature to seek comfort and a secure life. He, therefore, treads the beaten path. A point is reached when he is ensconced in a safe and comfortable life. And then if he looks back, he realises that he was paying the price - he had bartered adventure for security.

Reading about Matsuo Basho, the Japanese Haiku master of the 17th C put these thoughts into my mind. For Basho was a man who lived life on his own terms. A teacher, he refused to be tied down to a sedate life and chose to satisfy his restless spirit. Clad in his simple straw shoes, unencumbered by possessions, he wandered North, east and west to see his country and find fodder for his poetry. Throughout his wanderings, he attracted students and won their admiration.He was a hyohakusha (a wanderer). I felt that the English meaning didn't quite express the wanderlust and restlessness of a wild spirit. Hence the use of the Japanese word.

There are times when you feel suffocated by the comfort of routine. While the world can do without another school teacher, it needs people who will care enough to reach out to those in need. Life is a gift. There is only one life and what have you done?? You have remained inside the haven of your safety shell; the soft beneath untouched by hands that reach. What have you seen in this wonderful world? You have remained in the darkness of your cocoon.You had wings to fly and what did you do? Afraid to flutter them, you have aborted your growth. Blind to your own beauty. What have you learnt? You had little adventure, you made no mistakes.