Monday, April 11, 2005

A Path

You've travelled a long distance to get to where you are now. You've fought hard, sometime with your life, to make it to the crossroads you see now. The wind, as the sole announcer of your arrival, tells the forest around you that you have arrived, and all at once, the trees sigh in relief.

But, your journey is not over yet. The forest is yet still dark, and one more crossroads forks in front of you. Your philosophy of taking the path less travelled has failed you this time, for each path is equally beaten, each path has witnessed no more, and no fewer stories than the other. Wherever you go, it has been done before... or has it?

Down the right, you see the trail slope upward and sharply disappear around a bend. No matter how you crane your neck, you cannot see where it leads.

Down the left, the trail meanders before suddenly plummeting down a hill and out of view. Much as before, no matter how hard you try, you cannot see where the trail goes.

You must choose wisely now. Everything rests on your shoulders, as had all your choices before now, but you know this time, that if you choose wrong, everything will not be okay. You will not have the familiarity and welcomeness of friends and family to catch you should you choose wrong. Your journey will end prematurely.

You are equipped with a coin, your only currency, carved with a face and an arrow. You are also equipped with a stout, but dull blade. Capable as a tool, but not much else. Besides the clothes on your back, all your belongings have been accounted.

What will you do? Which path will you take, should you choose to take a path at all?

Everything you do is your own action. Comment, and let me know what you would actually do, and I will have an answer for you... on whether you chose the correct path.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why do I have to walk on one of those two paths?

Geoff said...

It's completely open ended. Do what you would do in that situation.

Geoff said...

Given the lack of replies, I thought I would just post the answers anyway, so you don't have to wait to see how you fared.

If you flipped the coin heads or tails, you challenge chance and probability.

If you toss the coin and follow the direction that the arrow points, you trust fate to guide you.

If you follow the right path, you let your faith guide you.

If you follow the left path, you let your sense of adventure guide you.

If you take the blade and cut your own path, you put your trust in your own originality and endurance (and you hope to make it through).

If you do nothing, apathy and inaction, perhaps lack of esteem, keeps you from going forward.

If you wait for someone else to come, you rely on others, which is both a strength and a weakness, as drawing from the strength of many makes you strong, but being alone makes you weak.

If you panic, irrationality is your calling.

If you turn back, you realize how hopeless things are, and you wish you had a time machine.


And yes, there is no true wrong answer. As long as you stay your path, you will make it.