Inner Journey
Journey, etymologically, is defined as the distance travelled in one day. In modern times, journey has taken on deeper and more meaningful significance. Today, journey is not measured by distance, but rather through meaning and experience, much like the concept of time. As a result, it is impossible to separate the physical from the metaphysical journey, as they interact constantly, one affecting the other in a process of inevitable choice and change. With reference particularly to the metaphysical, the major journey begins and never ends. This major journey is built up of several minor journeys having an ending which marks the beginning of the next. The process of a minor journey can be segregated into three stages; initiation, progression and result, all of which have relative factors contributing to the manner through which each stage occurs. Journey may be initiated by internal desire, external influence or a combination of these. A determining factor for the outcomes of the journey is whether or not the journey is intentional, explicitly whether or not the protagonist has the intention of undergoing the journey, having set goals and objectives in the case of the intentional journey. ... Being the greater part of the journey, it is influenced by the most factors. ... The final stage of journey is moulded within the context of the process preceding it. ... All are composed from a very personal perspective to give their target audiences of more mature ages a first hand account of their personal inner journeys. ... Robert Frost’s poem is composed to last through the ages, connecting past experiences to the present and to the future to last “ages and ages hence” through his personal experiences, the cover of “The Ivory Trail” has its primary purpose of attracting book readers of the ‘mystical’ genre with its cultural and historical social themes through the protagonist’s personal journey, the film “Vanilla Sky” uses modern cinematic techniques to attract more mature aged audiences over 15 years of age, not only to convey personal concepts but social and cultural as well, and Christine Olsen’s commentary given to year 12 students beginning their HSC course of Journey uses her intensely personal journey as an exemplary example. ... The three historically cultural structures, the Egyptian structures seemingly closer than the Sikh, with the ‘sands of time’ suggests physical travel and experience while the face, emphasising the eyes, suggests that an inner journey has taken place through the physical; the eyes are directed at the mystical Egyptian structures, thus there exists an undeniable relationship between both the physical and metaphysical journeys influencing one another. This is also seen in the journey of David Aames, the protagonist of “Vanilla Sky”, wherein he is constantly in confusion between the ‘real’ physical world and his dreams or inner self. This intentional juxtaposition has been used to show the little difference between the physical and inner or mental journey and their complex interactions. ... In this expression, the composer indicates that the journey is a process, ‘how’, of a choice leading to yet another choice, ‘way leads on to way’, through the use of repetition.