Dating back into the beginnings of mankind, travel has long been a reoccurring trait in human history. With some in search for resources, and others in search for the meaning of life, the universal pattern regarding a journey merged into the search for knowledge. Cavafy echoes this sentiment in his poem Ithaka which communicates that you will be “rich with all [the knowledge and experiences] you have gained” after arriving at your destination. Like the promises made in the poem, Alexander von Humboldt longed to adventure in pursuit of knowledge. As Humboldt outgrew adolescence, his passion for botany pushed him to travel to Latin America. The struggles he faced during the journey molded him to develop various ideas that people accepted. When Humboldt passed away, the people he influenced were a part of his great legacy.
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Born to a reticent mother, who forced Humboldt to school in a variety of classes, he adhered to her instructions under parental pressure. While in school, Humboldt failed economics, and he considered following in his father’s footsteps and joining an army. At age nineteen, Humboldt’s passion for botany swelled after meeting Karl Ludwig Willdenow, where they discussed their shared interest concerning the problems of plant distributions. His passion for botany and his wanderlust for adventure evoked him to resign from his government position and pursue the lifestyle of a traveling scientist. Thus, in 1799, Humboldt embarked on a five year pioneering expedition to Latin America with the goal to search for connections and patterns while observing and studying nature. He aspired to gain “an understanding of nature as a whole, [with] proof of the working together of all the forces of nature.”
Born to a reticent mother, who forced Humboldt to school in a variety of classes, he adhered to her instructions under parental pressure. While in school, Humboldt failed economics, and he considered following in his father’s footsteps and joining an army. At age nineteen, Humboldt’s passion for botany swelled after meeting Karl Ludwig Willdenow, where they discussed their shared interest concerning the problems of plant distributions. His passion for botany and his wanderlust for adventure evoked him to resign from his government position and pursue the lifestyle of a traveling scientist. Thus, in 1799, Humboldt embarked on a five year pioneering expedition to Latin America with the goal to search for connections and patterns while observing and studying nature. He aspired to gain “an understanding of nature as a whole, [with] proof of the working together of all the forces of nature.”