Life is a journey, not a destination - Ralph Waldo Emerson
We all have a path we must take but the only thing that matters while we go on our way is that we stay true to who we are.
The photo above is something I captured at Adam’s Peak, Sri Lanka and while it was a breathtaking view the idea of what could be depicted behind the exterior beauty was so much more intriguing.
The perspective alone is a good example of how we perceive life itself. The steps that seem to get smaller as we move ahead but are actually the same as those we were currently on. How many of us think that things will be easier as life goes on only to find that it never gets easier. Every step is still as tiring as the last and the only thing that diminishes is the will to go on. Nothing gets easier, you only get stronger and you keep moving ahead until you get to the top. Sometimes it's not really even about the path, but rather about how we travel on our own path.
A winding path that seems to have no end is also something we observe here. While it means that it's never easy to go through life it also signifies the unpredictability of the world. We never know what is after the next turn and if it will be for better or worse, but we keep moving in the same direction because we have to stay to the path for fear of being lost in the forest. Here again we understand that perspective makes all the difference. The next turn could mean that we have reached the end of our journey but it could also mean that we are just reaching the beginning of our journey. It's always unclear until we take that final turn and yet we move ahead, with hope and trust that no matter what happens we would survive.
The silent and lonely path shows us that this journey is one we take on our own. Yes we take a partner who is perfect to us and families that love us but none of this affects the path in life unless we let it. There's a common belief that life can take different turns based on our choices, but I suggest a change in that belief. The one this that stays constant is that we make our own choices. No matter what choice we make it is still our own decision. Thereby isn't there only one path that really exists, that being the path that we choose. A single path winding and lonely and created by us for us. Despite support and understanding, every step we take is our own and we decide if we move ahead on our path, move back or divert off it completely. Neither option is a mistake or better, it's all about what we need at that point in time.
Of course an optimist might argue saying that no matter what if we move ahead we will be the better for it. However plunging into situations we aren't ready for is hardly the best way to learn. Some would argue that this point would be where a person's life is improved or destroyed. A realist might be the most daring and point out that a straight line though the forest is probably the fastest path and not the clearly paved one. However even they must agree that the fastest way isn't always the best way. A pessimist might say to take a step back at the first sign of danger making it the safest possible way. After all it's so much easier to see the entire situation when you take a few steps back. But how far would you go without ever taking a risk? Life is all about the risk because the chance of failure makes every step that much more important. Which one will you be?
