All too often it seems as if life has placed only a few predetermined paths before us. These paths are on the rails, socially generated, and take little thought. In this situation, it’s not obvious that there’s much of a decision to be made. Of the choices available, a lone questions emerges- Which one is best?
We can question why only these paths are open to us. When we do, we come to realize that our vision has been restricted, that while we’ve only been directed to see two or three paths, there are hundreds of them before us, each one unique, compelling, and open for us to pursue.
At this point, the question “Which one is best?” fails. We can’t individually inspect every option and find the one which emerges above them all. A selection process emerges, fueled by the question, “What do I want?”
When we ask this question, it’s unlikely any of the paths will do. Some will come close, but there will always be cognitive dissonance when applying a preconfigured path to the fluid notion of what we want.
The not so obvious next step: dismiss the notion of paths all together, and acknowledge that there is only a landscape. There is only time stretching forward, and you are free to use it however you’d like.
The question that remains- What will you do?