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The word adventure tends to conjure images of people climbing mountains, kayaking through rapids, or traveling to remote corners of the world. It sounds expensive, athletic, and slightly exhausting.
But adventure is really just the experience of stepping into something uncertain—doing something for which you don’t already know the outcome. And that can happen almost anywhere. Maybe you can sign up for a new class, introduce yourself to a stranger, or simply say yes to an opportunity that scares you. What these experiences have in common is not danger. It’s unpredictability.
Adventure runs against the logic of modern life. We spend much of our time trying to reduce uncertainty—to make things more predictable, efficient, and manageable. Adventure asks us to do the opposite. It tests our willingness to leave the familiar behind.
On Adventure
Why You Might Need an Adventure
By Arthur C. Brooks
In a rut? Try shaking things up. (From 2024)
Seven Death-Defying Books for the Adventurous Reader
By Eva Holland
These titles will spirit you to some of the planet’s wildest landscapes, without making you leave your armchair.
How to Turn Anxiety Into Adventure
By Arthur C. Brooks
The secret is to turn your feeling of dread into the excitement of opportunity. (From 2025)
Still Curious?
- The benefits of getting comfortable with uncertainty: “Wanting and not wanting the same thing at the same time is a baseline condition of human consciousness,” Julie Beck wrote in 2015.
- The worst advice parents can give first-year students: Today’s college students will have ample time to figure out their careers, Ezekiel J. Emanuel wrote in 2024. Before that, encourage them to take risks.
Other Diversions
- Ashley Parker: My descent into mah-jongg
- Nathaniel Hawthorne’s American horror story
- The millions of songs mashed into AI-generated music
PS
My colleague Isabel Fattal recently asked readers to share a photo of something that sparks their sense of awe in the world. “The stunning beauty of Red Rock Canyon, just a 15-minute drive or so from my home. It takes my breath away each and every time I see it—whether from my car or when I wake my laptop!” Michele R., from Las Vegas, Nevada, writes.
— Rafaela
The post Why Adventure Matters appeared first on The Atlantic.
