Three thoughts converged this past week as I reflected on the nature of the paths we choose in life, and these thoughts became the fodder for today's blog post:
Thought #1 is a paragraph from one of my favourite books, The Power of Intention by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, which caught my attention as I was re-reading it (yet again...great book!):
"Wilhelm Stekel made a remarkable comment on the importance of humility (which was quoted by J. D. Salinger in Catcher in the Rye). Â Stekel wrote: "The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.""
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Thought #2 is a main principle of Taoism, which came to mind as I reviewed some course material for some classes I'm teaching in Toronto next month.  The principle is that of wei wu wei (pronounced way woo way), which means the action of non-action.  Non-action in this philosophy does not mean doing nothing or keeping silent, but rather letting everything be allowed to do what it naturally does, so that its nature will be satisfied.
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Thought #3 arose as I considered the title for this post (which was originally going to be just about the two thoughts above).  The title that came to mind was 'Two Paths Converged', which reminded me of the Robert Frost poem entitled The Road Not Taken, whose final stanza includes the following lines:
"...Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -Â
I took the one less traveled by,Â
And that has made all the difference."
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These three thoughts all bubbled up to my awareness at different points this past week, and I paused to consider them together as they apply to the nature of the paths we choose in life:
...living humbly for a cause vs. dying nobly for a cause
...letting everything be allowed to do what it naturally does, so that its nature will be satisfied.
...taking the road less traveled by, and having it make all the difference
Being several years into this 'path less travelled' myself, and having the benefit of hindsight and perspective, I found myself thinking about how these three ideas intersect to influence the advice I offer to folks who ask me about which path they ought to take; to those who are at their own juncture or fork in the road. Â
I thought about whether I've been 'living humbly' or 'dying nobly' for my cause...and about which one of these approaches feels better.  The truth is that sometimes I feel I've been pushing too hard and forcing too much - at least internally, within myself - which lends itself to more of that 'dying nobly' feeling...which is counterproductive to the kind of life that I want to create. Â
At this stage of the game, I realize that I'd definitely prefer living humbly for my cause.
Have you ever felt like you're pushing too hard or forcing too much?Â
Taking the time to consider all this, however, helped me arrive at the following realization: regardless of whether you choose the path less-traveled or the one well-worn, it really is a gift to yourself - and to those you're in contact with - to honour and to abide by the principle of wei wu wei: in other words, to allow yourself to do what you naturally do, so that your nature will be satisfied. Â
I intend to do more of that, going forward. Â
How about you? Â Do you allow yourself to do what you naturally do? Â Does your nature feel satisfied?
I do believe it is wise and productive to create goals for yourself, and to have posts along the way that you reach and strive for. Â In my Bikram hot yoga practice for example, our instructors remind us that 'where your eyes go, your body will follow'...so keeping your intentions focused on your desired outcome (or at least on your desired next step) does indeed help to draw you in the direction you want to go.Â
Yet it is equally, if not more important, to first be certain that where your eyes are focused is actually where you want to be looking; where all of you wants to be looking. Â Endeavour to focus your intentions on scenarios where all of your nature - or as much as you can possibly accommodate - is allowed to do what it naturally does.
Remaining cognizant of how all of you feels as you walk the journey of your life can help you stay on the right path, and help you choose the best route for you when the paths diverge and you have a choice lying ahead of you.  Often, it's not possible to figure it all out ahead of time, but rather figure things out along the way because in most cases, you can't truly know how you'll feel until you're actually in the situation.  That's why it's important to stay in touch with yourself all along the way. Â
Choosing the path that has a sense of ease and flow - where time sometimes stands still when you're engaged in your task, and where you're sufficiently fueled by your work that you have the energy to keep going during the challenging times - tends to be the path of greatest reward and greatest peace.
Are you on a path that's aligned with your true nature? Â
If not, what's one thing that you could do differently, to make it more so?