The Path of Life

"Neo, what you've learned is that there is a difference in knowing the path - and walking the path…" Morpheus, The Matrix

Many wisdom traditions refer to life as walking along a path. The Tao refers to "The Way" - as did early Christians when they spoke of their new-found faith. It was not yet a formalized and corrupted religion. To them, it was merely the way. The way to heaven or possibly even the way of Heaven.

I, too, have a recurring remembrance of life in this way. I think our/my mistake comes from how we envision that path. It is not a paved walkway, and it is certainly not well-marked.

If you think life is like those beautiful manicured walks that can be found outside of most any large museum, you will be sadly disappointed. Whereas those paths are well maintained, planned and marked with an abundance of signage and narrative (Maple, Latin name…), life is much more obscure. The trees are not labeled, and the narrative - if it exists at all - is incomplete and confusing.

What I at my best times remember is that life is more like a lightly travelled path in a seldom visited state park. This park is beautiful, and the views spectacular. But, unfortunately, it is remote and hard to access. Parking is limited and lighting is poor.

In order to fully appreciate and experience this park and its many paths, one must prepare beforehand, and walk with constant attention and care.

These parks do provide maps with some general guidance to the paths, but they are poor copies of the original hand-drawn maps, and they have been copied so many times on poor equipment, that much of the detail has been lost and some of the routes distorted.

I find my life so much like this, don't you? I hear inspirational speakers and read their wonderful books, but I find the walking to be much more challenging than I expected.

Yes, the maps give a general idea as to the distance and difficulty, but the problem I continue to experience is the scale.

Yes, the route is 4.7 miles, and I see a series of loops, turns and cutbacks, but as I walk the trail, I find myself confused. Where exactly am I? I see this trail branch on the map, but is that the turn I just made or is it in front of me?

The map said the trail should take about 90 minutes, but on whose scale? Am I walking faster or more slowly than that long-forgotten cartographer?

This is the problem. This is my problem. I know, but I don't know. I think I know them map, but really I've misread it. I'm lost or I'm almost home. Which is it? I can't tell. What I need is a better perspective. I need a bird's eye view of the trail and where I am on it, but such a perspective is unavailable to me here and now.

How then, do we resolve such ambiguity? How do we continue onward when we really have no idea of where and when and how much longer?

All of the faith-traditions have a different answer to the question. The Buddhist might answer that there is not trailhead or trail ending, and it is only our acceptance of the difficulty and suffering on the hike that matters.

A Taoist might encourage us that there are many paths to the end, and if we maintain our non-action, we will arrive at an acceptable or appropriate time.

And finally, a Christian might exhort us to continue our walk, no matter how difficult. For regardless of our fate, should we successfully complete our hike or die in the forest, all is in God's hands and will work for our ultimate good.

At different times, I have accepted or embraced all of these answers. Now, I think or believe that the explanation is some odd conglomeration of all of these perspectives.

That is the paradox of life. We know and we do not. We are lost and we are found. We are alive and nearly dead. All simultaneously. And, inexplicably, all of it just as it should be.

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