We know that life is always fraught with concerns, issues, troubles, problems and that it certainly spares no one. Being people of microscopic patience, anxious minds, and weak hearts we tend to seek out immediate relief from all of our troubles. A problem is what it’s always known to be – a difficulty, trial, test, struggle, mess, ordeal, predicament, a snag or a dilemma. It’s very inconvenient, stressful, heart rending, mind boggling, catastrophic and life shattering, disastrous, and tragic. Nobody wants that ever. So then whenever such a situation hits unexpectedly, the quickest and immediate solution out of there would be a person’s natural choice. To achieve this -- he would turn his radar on to possible conventional ways and means available to him. Or if none is seen, he will undoubtedly create it notwithstanding its unusual mode. So we hear of stories of people who steal, embezzle, cheat, deceive, swindle, or become prey to loan sharks and the like, and in extremes kill -- All for the purpose of finding a definite or final solution to a problem. But this action doesn’t solve anything at all, unfortunately. In fact, it simply compounds further the issue or issues at hand. What was thought of as the solution -- is now the new problem to contend with – without having even solved the previous one.
Let’s try another view.
Not a popular one at all, if you ask me, because it’s not comfortable, fashionable, easy, effortless, or painless. So then why bother telling bout this, you would say. Well, I bother because I believe it to be – good and true.
If one is to travel to some place and given a choice between two roads to travel on – a smooth highway and the other an untried rough road, which would be chosen? Apparently the choice would be the first one – the easy one. Nobody would go by way of the rugged road. Same thing when confronted with life’s troubles.
Why?
Because pursuing the less traveled rough road of life exposes one to unimaginable inconvenience and doubles up the difficulty…
-- it is hard to stay consistently strong
-- it is tough to be unwavering in faith and hope
-- it is rough trying not to be afraid
-- it is tiring and wearying to the mind, body, and soul
I agree it is all of that yet it is the only path I can see which would get you there in a much better state than when you started. That entire thing bout being hard, tough, rough, and wearying is part of this so-called lesser path. It’s there for the purpose of bringing out the right stuff in you to enable you to cope and deal with life’s bad turns. Notice how we get better after winning over every difficulty strewn our way? -- A victorious and triumphant moment undeniably. You see it’s meant, actually, to bring out the best in you. Those rough times of your life collectively or separately work to transform you each time into the person you were originally meant to be – by God’s design – a brave, stronger, sturdy, wiser version of your old self. It just gets better every time.
Tough choice but a winning one. Believe this.
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –
I took the one less traveled by,
and that has made all the difference.
---Robert Frost / The Road Not Taken
posted on Tuesday, October 02, 2007 9:58 AM
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