The New American Frontier

One can simply chose to be a pioneer

When Alexis de Tocqueville imparted on his travels in Michigan in 1833, he described the wilderness surrounding him as a terrifying and impenetrable wall only able to be navigated by a skilled few. The forest was a cruel and bitter foe to be respected, and rarely would a man ever be daring enough to venture into its unknowns. Rarely would he emerge unscathed by its elements. Still his pioneer spirit drove him into the dangerous and uncharted.

Tocqueville’s desire to explore the American frontier in his day evokes a nostalgic optimism in which it becomes easy for one to pity himself while wishing he too were thrust into an environment ripe for discovery, for invention, waiting for claims to be staked with no resistance and low investment followed by massive gain.

Unfortunately this landscape has never existed