When we finally reach the end of whatever path we’re on in life, there is one guarantee for all of us, regardless of race, religion or culture.
No matter the paths we took to get there, and the people travelled with or against to traverse these paths, we all meet the same end point.
Often, as the realization hits that this is the end, and the path runs out of areas to tread, we think back on what we’ve accomplished (or haven’t, depending on your point of view).
The problem with this is we leave ourselves no time to take the paths untravelled, or journey the adventure unfound.
Instead, we reach a destination that has no other direction. Or do we?
One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things. ~ Henry Miller
If we see the destination as a place, then our lives will be one big collection of untapped potentials.
Instead of the culmination of a life experienced to its fullest, we’ll have a book full of chapter-sized regrets.
Yet it doesn’t need to be this way.
The Destination is Never a Place
To Henry Miller’s quote, looking for a “place” as the destination where we’ve finally “arrived” is missing the bigger picture.
For some, the place may be a bigger house. A bigger job with a bigger office. A bigger parking space at the exclusive golf club.
For others, the place may be a better car than the neighbour’s, or a trophy wife/husband to parade at the next corporate event.
But these places are simply material destinations.
Do they make us feel better? Perhaps in the short-term. But longer term, what do they actually mean?
Cars rust, houses crumble, jobs disappear, external beauty fades. So the journey begins again to scratch an itch that just won’t quit – because the journey to these destinations is always the same.
We need to change the destination.
For ourselves. For those around us. For those no longer with us. For those yet to be with us.
Our journey until now we can’t change. It’s done, for good or for worse. Decisions we made until now we may not be able to reverse.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t change their outcome. It all comes down to whether we want to, or not.
It’s time to choose your destination.