The Right Road

In a recent moment of contemplation, I found it stunning that while many people espouse so many life goals and plans, few (if any) achieve any of them with any consistency. Pursuing one's goals is serious business, but I fear that so many are just saying things without true conviction, or without any thought of follow-up or follow-through. Where has all of the drive and determination gone in society? Has the downward pressure of society quenched the zest out of life? Has the desire to fit in caused us to be afraid to make waves in an attempt to make progress? Has the rigor of life convinced so many to give up, or worse, to not even try? Have the masses substituted looking good and erecting/maintaining façades for actually achieving some meaningful progress, development, or growth?

As I have discovered, life is not just going to give us what we desire. If we want to get to our desired (and expected) destination, we have to exert effort. Furthermore, it is more important to be on the right road, and then, moving in the right direction, than it is for us to have a certain type of car (or even have a car at all). Let us then consider the following musings.

I remember the first few years of driving, and even a few years before that, when I would scan those big folding AAA maps as we embarked upon a long road trip. I remember following the colored lines across the folds in the paper, trying to estimate distances, to identify and remember the names of small towns along the way, and to grasp the general geography and road grid. With this old technology, we plotted countless paths from home to our various destinations. Reading maps was good practice at becoming spatially aware, if you could keep the motion sickness at bay.

Nowadays, of course, we have ubiquitous GPS applications and devices, where a digital voice not only tells you when and where to turn, but also tells you the names of the roads to take, and how long the drive will be. You can even search for things along the way, like gas stations, parking lots, and restaurants. It should be almost impossible for someone to get lost on a road trip these days! Google even provides directions for people who are walking, riding bicycles, or even taking public transportation!

And yet, no matter if you use an old AAA map or the latest GPS device, it should be plainly obvious to any traveler that one will never reach the intended destination unless one travels along the right road.

We've all heard of "the straight and narrow" path that religious or righteous people are supposed to be on. Depending on who you talk to, this road or path is boring, no fun, and basically the equivalent of living everyday in church, or as a monk!

Living right does not preclude one from having an eventful, fun, or even an exciting life; although many, blinded by tradition and distracted by dogmas and doctrines feel that such a life is severely restrictive, unnecessarily difficult, and unpleasant. Perhaps this view is the expected result when the natural desires of man come face to face with law after law of "thou shalt not!" However, I subscribe to the belief that "the natural desires of man[kind] should not be crushed, but should be guided in the proper channels so that they can be worked out under, by, and through a dynamic God-consciousness."¹

Time, and research by skeptics have shown us that some (but not all) of these arbitrary doctrines were developed more to control people than to promote righteousness; for they have been flaunted for centuries by many of the very clergy who created them, are charged to teach them, to and govern the behavior of the masses!

In recent years, it has become almost a rite of passage for young celebrities in show-business to publicly shun these teachings, some going to the opposite extreme to publicly perform exactly that which is prohibited or frowned upon. Regardless of our individual or collective love/hate relationship with such teachings, there is wisdom in those Laws given to us by God, as they are designed to compel us to embrace a certain degree of self-discipline, to take all things in moderation, and to avail and open ourselves to be guided and influenced by God. And so, when one embraces religious teachings or endeavors to live a righteous (or disciplined) life, we often use the analogy of that person being on the right road.

As the Bible describes it, "strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life." Certainly, we can attest to the fact that increasingly fewer people actively participate in organized religion. Perhaps more troubling, however, is the increasing number of people who live a totally secular life (forget being spiritual).

The YOLO cliché has become the mantra of the times for many: you only live once. Nowadays, especially in the West, people are doing some of everything! It's no wonder why there has been a precipitous drop off in societal morals, and an acceptance (albeit begrudgingly and tacitly) of increasing violence, intolerance, and sexual promiscuity, among other things. People are lost, trying some of everything to just enjoy life, or to, at minimum, carve out some sort of niche for themselves and their families to just survive in this Machiavellian society.

Tradition religion, fortunately, beset with problems at it may be, still keeps certain teachings alive, which people can employ to impose some sort of order to their lives and make some sort of (spiritual) progress in the world. But, even with a well-defined path, just as with any conventional road, the right road can be lined with various challenges and hazards; from potholes to construction; stretches of heavy traffic, and stretches that wind through rural, desolate, or remote areas. Weather problems may cause us to slow down, use specialized equipment, or stop us altogether.

These conditions that beset conventional roads mirror various life events, where various incidents, like sickness, unemployment, disagreements with our brothers and sisters, and feelings of despair or hopelessness (among other trials) cause some sort of jarring disruption in our lives.

A big challenge, particularly for newer drivers, is navigating intersections. Choosing which road to take at a crossroads can be daunting. One may have to change lanes (or lifestyles) in order to make a necessary turn; and there exists the possibility of making a wrong turn!

All of us take different roads, perhaps taking the scenic path instead of a more direct route, and alternating between the two. But, although we take different paths, the important thing is that we are on the road, the right road, and moving forward; that we're not stuck in a ditch or somewhere off the beaten path.

And yet, while being on the right road is the important thing, some of us place undue importance on the car, how good it looks, how expensive it is, how luxuriously appointed it is; similarly, some of us focus on our outward appearance, how we look to others, how well thought of we are by others, etc. Sometimes, we focus on how powerful the car is, how fast it drives, how many people are also going that same way (few like driving lonely roads, especially at night, i.e. in difficult times). No matter how good we look, how much power or influence we have, how quickly we can get what we want, we are not moving closer to our destination if we are not on the right road. We are wasting time, wasting energy, and potentially going in circles. And, it's even worse if we're not picking up any lessons along the way.

Let us, then, make it a priority to fing and get on the right road. But, always remember, even on the right road, one must go in the right direction to get to one's desired destination!

¹Excerpt from Tenet #21 of "This We Believe", as set forth by Rabbi Levi S. Plummer

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