Get Lost: Why We Need to Rediscover the Spiritual Practice of Wandering

by Stephen Prothero

In this inspiring manifesto, the New York Times bestselling author of Religious Literacy and God Is Not One calls us to embrace an ancient practice at the heart of many religions and cultures—wandering—to help us reconnect with our own souls and find renewed meaning in our lives.

The overwhelming focus on increased efficiency and incessant drive in today’s globalized world may benefit corporate bottom lines, but it is having an adverse impact on everyday lives. Navigating our way in a world defined by constant stimulation and the demand to always be moving forward has left us feeling unmoored, unsettled, and strangely uncomfortable in our own skin.

Stephen Prothero, too, has felt the anxiety, strain, and alienation caused by modern life. Enduring a divorce and a sudden move, the scholar and writer embarked on an experiment that would prove transformative and deeply satisfying. Instead of adhering to a rigid schedule, he allowed himself to embrace a time-honored spiritual practice that values exploration and intrepidness: wandering. Prothero made time to wander, both physically, through travel, and intellectually, through reading and study.

Get Lost is an exploration of the social, psychological, and spiritual virtues of this ancient tradition and how it has been exercised and cherished throughout history—yet is devalued by contemporary culture’s obsession with constant productivity and success. By pointing to models and stories of those who wander, from the Buddha to Jack Kerouac to the biblical Hagar to Mary Oliver, Prothero provides "an antidote to what ails our purpose-driven society." He calls for the "practice of unsettling yourself" as a necessary first step in the journey to discover who we are and understand the true meaning of being home.

Audio

Published June 12, 2018

About the author

Stephen Prothero is a professor in the Department of Religion at Boston University and the author of numerous books, most recently Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know—And Doesn't and American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Idol. He has commented on religion on dozens of National Public Radio programs and on television on CNN, NBC, CBS, FOX, PBS, MSNBC and Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. A regular contributor to The Wall Street Journal, he has also written for The New York Times Magazine, The New York Times Book Review, Slate, Salon.com, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and The Boston Globe.

Prothero has argued for mandatory public school Bible literacy courses (along the lines of the Bible Literacy Project's The Bible and Its Influence), along with mandatory courses on world religions. Prothero defines himself as a "confused Christian".