Emily Cole: Outside Reading "The Teachings of don Juan"

Over the summer I read Carlos Castaneda’s book “The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge.” While the whole book really is just about the author taking drugs and writing about it, I enjoyed Castaneda’s writing style and learning about a culture I knew nothing of previously. One of my favorite passages was from Castaneda’s entry on Thursday, August 17, 1961. This entry is specifically important to the book in that it is when Don Juan declares that he has made up his mind to teach the author the secrets of a man of knowledge, which is one of the most powerful forces on earth. After experimenting with peyote (or Mescalito) the author didn’t like his body’s reaction to it, but don Juan took a different interpretation and saw that Castaneda could be his “chosen man.” In the midst of don Juan’s proclamation of this, Castaneda says that he was frightened by the Mescalito. To this, don Juan remarks, “Fear is the first natural enemy a man must overcome on his path to knowledge. Besides, you are curious. That evens up the score. And you will learn in spite of yourself; that’s the rule,” (p. 57). What struck me with this quote was how resoundingly true it is- fear is our first natural enemy. It’s something physical and emotional that is very hard to control, but as don Juan said, with fear comes learning, and this is one way that one may become a man of knowledge.