Finding Your Howl

In Jonathon Flaum's Finding Your Howl, he describes a wolf that is one of fourteen that escapes from captivity. However, due to their captive pasts none of these wolves know how to howl. One wolf, Mumon, takes it upon himself to find his howl and consequently become the pack leader. In searching for his howl, he finds and kills a deer, thus beginning his process of assimilating with his wild side. He feels guilt for this kill, but a raven convinces him it was the right thing to do. With this renewed sense of validation, Mumon begins to run and feels himself becoming more and more connected to the earth.

Then a farmer shoots him.

After the wound has been inflicted, Mumon journeys to the center of the earth where he dances in fire and howls for the first time. The howl is so prodigious that the moon itself claims it as its own.

This brief tale goes to show that it is impossible to go against one's nature. Even though Mumon was raised in captivity, he was still able to overcome considerable odds and find his long-lost howl. This howl could mean any number of things, depending on the person in question. To one it might a life's aspiration, to another a subtle muse, and to another still a drive for redemption. In Mumon's case, his howl turned out to be all three of these and more still. Simply put, a howl is a reason to be. Without it, we are lost in a foreign and hostile world. In order to be successful and thrive, it is imperative to find your howl and never let it go.



"Somewhere something incredible is waiting to be known."
-Carl Sagan

This quote form Carl Sagan serves as my own personal "howl." The pursuit of knowledge is one of the most important things to me and I try to cater to it as much as possible in my day-to-day life. The human mind is a marvelous entity, capable of expanding without bounds and constantly thirsting for more knowledge. In this manner, it makes for the perfect howl, because it can never be satisfied or forgotten. Carl Cagan's quote serves as a poignant reminder that no matter how much I think I know, there is still so much more that I can discover. Keeping myself in a mindset of infantile wonder at the marvels of the world allows for my creativity and mind to grow, completely uninhibited.

A howl is much more than a quote, a mantra or even a life-changing event (in the case of Mumon). It is a muse, a driving force so powerful that it consumes ones life, for better or for worse. For me, my howl has been the imperative to hold myself to a higher standard of intelligence than I otherwise would have. Few things can be cultivated as easily and as uniquely as the human mind, and every incredible thing waiting to be known has the power to positively change a multitude of people's lives. Perhaps one or two or two-million of these particular incredible somethings will go on to serve as howls for those who discover them, further perpetuating the cycle of inspiration and intelligence.