Jim, from Germany, asks: “Why is it so hard to find our way in life, even when we have specific goals?”
Hello Jim,
There are times when we just can’t see what’s going on around us and we lose sight of our goals. If we are not careful, the weight and stress of it all can pull us down, even cripple our progress.
If it’s alright with you, I’d like to approach this from a different perspective.
What if not seeing the events around us was the Universes way of protecting us? What if, after all the complaining we do, this is in reality—an advantage?
Think about this for a moment.
Imagine standing on the top of a mountain, and for the sake of my own visual—I’m imagining TGII. You can imagine a fluffy swirl of Cosmic Dust if you like—just imagine someone or something in charge of the big picture, ok?
So there we are, standing over what looks like an endless sea of white mist, completely covering all we survey, with one small exception—a tiny mountain peak miles and miles away.
“What’s that over there?” you ask.
“That is your destination,” says TGII.
You frown. “How am I supposed to get there if I can’t see my way?”
TGII then smiles, “I’ll guide you.”
“But why?” you complain, “If this mist was gone, I could walk it alone. In fact, I could run to the other side!”
With a sigh, TGII waves his cybernetic hand. “You may think so, but let me show you something…” and the mist vanishes.
You can’t help but reel back and gasp.
Before you is a slippery slope of mud, not more than five feet from you, that winds down the mountain side and to the edge of a giant chasm.
Linking one side of the chasm to another are two flimsy-looking ropes, followed by paths of broken glass, lava…and the list goes on. Everywhere you turn, there is danger. Beasts, pitfalls, boiling oil, Vallen, Therrin, Täku, obstacles…with only small spurts of green grass where the path is clear.
“Are you insane!?” you cry aloud, “I’m not going down there!”
With a firm hand on your shoulder, TGII gives you a solemn look, “That is the path to your goal. If you want it, you must walk it.”
“But…,” you start to say, yet it looks utterly impossible.
With a another wave of his hand, the mist tumbles into the valley and all vanishes from site. Again, all you can see is the mountain peak in the distance.
With a heavy sigh, you mumble, “It’s impossible.”
“No,” says TGII and there is a degree of comfort in his tone. He looks at you cheerfully. “Not with my help. Not with the mist in place.”
“Why cover up all these dangers and trick me, when it’s impossible?” you complain, “I’m more likely to die down there than achieve my goal.”
Then TGII laughs. Not a mocking or scornful laugh, but one you hear when a small child does something delightfully funny out of innocence.
“The mist is there to hide your perceptions of what is possible and what is not, nothing more.” Then he leans closer and points to the far peak. “Look over there. It exists because it is possible…and you are more than you THINK you are. All it takes is guidance and your own determination to endure to the end. If you will walk the path, I will make sure you get there.”
Now I turn my mind inward.
There are so many times in my life that I thought the Universe was dumping on me. Making me some private joke, or taunting me with my own hopes and expectations, only to cheat me. So many attempts to pursue a goal—only to fall flat on my face and have it escape me altogether.
Take one simple event that completely changed my life. An accident that took away the ability to dance.
I’ve loved dancing all my life and I trained to be a professional dancer all my youth. ALL my youth! Then, in an instant, that dream was squashed.
Yet I also met a darling man, who just proposed to me, and this specifically because I lost my ability to dance—specifically because of that horrid accident. We will be married soon.
It was because of that accident that I started writing these articles—and didn’t give up on the scientist in me altogether. I also had to find other forms of employment, developed skills to publish, blog, build websites, make podcasts, make videos, book trailers…and the list goes on, just to survive.
Now I use each and every one of those skills to get that much closer to the goals I have. These painful experiences that carved up my life and rearranged circumstances so I could reach for something more than just dancing on a stage, were a blessing.
At the same time, had I seen the first event—the accident, through the mist, I would have done all I could to avoid it.
Where would that have left me?
Sure, you can say it might have all worked out anyway—but I’m not sure of that. Fact is, we don’t know—AND it is more likely these things would NOT have happened. My mentality would have been wrong.
I would have pursued another course.
Heaven forbid, I never would have met the man of my dreams!
So I may be wrong…I may be crazy (nothing new there), but I think we can’t see the road for a very good reason: it’s for our own protection.
Think about it.
