Who among us still sees the signs detailing distances and
destinations?
Who among us still travels down the paved road?
We who yearn for enlightenment are but explorers in this lush
rainforest of life. Who’s to say what
trail we should take? Are we not all lost; searching for that fabled city of
peace and paradise within the dense jungle of the mind?
Yes, we are all lost; our maps tossed aside as we stepped off
the pavement and realized how outdated they’ve become. The paths have all crossed, zigzagging unseen
beneath the rainforest canopy, many leading to disappointment and despair.
How many have taken the wrong path, maybe following someone
at a fork or wandering blindly to nowhere?
Or perhaps we’ve traveled knowingly down it; caught up in some novel feeling
of love we walked hand-in-hand to a dead end of despondency. And yet others ignore their instincts; unable
to accept themselves they’ve pressed forward on a crash-course to ruin.
Not all of us will make it, in fact most will perish; some
faltering but minutes from accomplishment, others falling prey to the beasts of
the jungle, while the rest lose hope, give up, and fade away into the dense
vegetation.
And where is this elusive path they speak of? It is true many have crossed it without even
knowing, but surely none of us actually followed it. So should
we turn about and seek the comfort of the paved roads? Our paths constantly fork but who’s right is
it to say which to take? If it is not
the beaten-path dug in by the dragging feet of others that leads to our Utopia,
then should we perhaps yield to our will and follow a fresh, unblazed trail
through the wilderness?
Yes, that is to be my course of action. To walk the path of my instincts: a path which,
although uncut, flows as care-free as water down the stream bed. Which leaves but one question: If we are
courageous enough to follow our own path through the jungle of life, imagine what
sweet fruits we are to taste along the way.
Jason Cholewa, Ph.D., CSCS
