Path To Nowhere (Updated from 12/7/2014)

 

“It's not that he was going nowhere, it's that he'd already arrived.”

-- Janet Fitch

Some folks have asked me a fairly obvious question, of late.  What do you do when you look at the path ahead and see issues with continuing down it?

I went on a two-day "cabin fever" road trip to Cajun country one weekend.  I had a list of sites I wanted to visit, one of which was Avery Island where they make my favorite hot sauce.  I arrived too early to get in the gate, so I opted to spend the hour cleaning my camera and shooting some photos instead of returning ten miles up the road to New Iberia just to turn around, again.

On the bayou, there were some long-forgotten dock works and boardwalks that offered some great subject matter.  I am always looking for "blog photos" to work with down the road.  There was one that jumped out at me when I returned home.  My first glance at the dock put me off.  I wasn't particularly interested in walking to the end of it to get a shot of the old dock pilings.  Let's face it, two boards were missing from the middle, and the rest were warped and old.  The railings were also in ill repair but felt sturdy, and the remaining boards, although warped, were two-by-eight and solid under my weight.  I was reminded of the saying, "No guts, no glory."

I faced the bayou, on the right side, and side-stepped across.  I considered myself lucky that it held, not because the water was deep, it wasn't.  I, being a dumb-smack, didn't put the camera strap around my neck.  I stepped across holding the camera in one hand.  Of course, my "knee-jerk reaction" at slipping would have been to grab the railing with both hands, if the railing was still there, and the camera would have taken a bath.  But, like I said, the crossing went well.  The photos of the pilings were not as interesting as the crossing, however.

So, what's my point?  What do you do when you look at the path ahead and see issues with continuing down it?  As much as I would like to recommend the "no guts, no glory" answer, one has to weigh the personal safety issues and not be, what I like referring to, a poster child for birth control.  In this particular case, the only risk was to my pride, if anyone were to see me fall in.  The risk-benefit ratio was well within my personal parameters.  One has to consider this when following their path in life.  Sometimes the path ahead looks a bit dicey and you might want to do a risk-benefit analysis to see if it's really worth continuing down this path or, perhaps, looking for a fork in the road.

On the other hand, as in this case, I looked ahead and saw the that path ended.  There were obvious dangers to continuing down this path that, ultimately, led to nowhere.  But, at the end of this path, there was beauty I wanted to experience; something of man's history on the bayou, of his coming, living, and passing on;  questions that pique one's curiosity and stir the imagination.  Why was it here, what did it originally look like, who built it, and was it an old road, railway trestle, or a boat dock?

"...we are simply passing through history."

-- Belloq, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981)

Even on the "path to nowhere" one can find a rare gem, a reason for a detour, a risk. One has but to look.  Open your eyes and see.  Risk, if you really live, is a part of life.  It is who we are.  It is a genetic predisposition to curiosity that God has seen fit to endow upon us.  What a waste it is not to make use of it.

I have begun to enjoy the writings of Maya Angelou. She will be sorely missed as she passed away in May of 2014.  I had no idea how much more she offered the world, besides being an author and poet.  I'm not sure which of her following quotes, best plays to this idea of traveling a path to nowhere. So, I offer them both:

"Open your eyes to the beauty around you, open your eyes to the wonder of life, open your heart to those who love you, and always be true to yourself." 

"If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be."

 How "amazing you can be" is directly proportionate to the paths you dare to travel, and the risks you dare to take.  We fail, we rise, we fail again.  We constantly stumble and fall, and, if we're worth our salt, we will rise to the challenge.  This is who we are, what we are, and, most importantly, it is why we are.  It is through trial and error, this traveling down "paths to nowhere," that we have managed to move as far as we have.  We will fall again, probably due to the arrogance of not appreciating these paths. Appreciation is what traveling down the paths might teach us about our future.

Never be too proud to take the path less traveled. 

Never be too proud to take the path not traveled at all.

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference."

-- Robert Frost

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch - it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either view any more right or wrong than the other. Opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form their own opinions, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint.

I fervently hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning those opinions offered. After twenty-three years of military intelligence, I believe that engaging each other in this manner, and in this arena, is a way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience... and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. Following his service career, he spent 17 years working with the premier and world-renowned Western Institutional Review Board, helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. He also served 8 years on the Board of Directors for the Angela J. Bowen Foundation.

Ordained in 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As a weapon for his war on intolerance, he chose the pen. He wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's personal, spiritual path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteered as the lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

Feel free to contact Pastor Tony at: tolerantpastor@gmail.com