Daniel Bogert "Tension Between Space and Place"

Lane talks about how place alternates between comfort and constriction while space alternates between freedom and threat. On one hand we are comforted when we feel the warmth of a small town. Yet there is also an urge to break away from the confines and ordinariness of that small town. Our feeling towards space also change from seeing wide open space as freedom to being frightened of being lost in such open space. I find this fascinating because the two ends of the spectrum are so utterly different and yet and I can feel them both in my own experience. I think Tolkein's "the Hobbit" really did a good job of articulating this tension. Bilbo Baggins begins the novel enjoying his organized, quiet life in the Shire. He doesn't want to go on an adventure, he simply wants to sip tea and relax in his quiet village. But there is also a part of him that wants to see the world and experience adventure. This part of him is awakened when the wizard Gandalf shows up in the Shire and shakes things up. I think this tension is a universal one. Part of me is drawn to the comfort and peace of a place like the Shire. But yet another part of me cries out against such confines in favor of a life of exploration and adventure. I find it so strange that two completely different desires could exist inside of the same person. I guess it's one of the mysteries of life.