Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - CROSSROADS

 CROSSROADS

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-

I took the one less travelled by, 

And that has made all the difference.

This poem, The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost* gives some indication of the decisions we all must make as we travel any road whether it be a highway or the road of life. As we start a new year, it’s prudent to consider that every decision we make is, in fact, a potential crossroad in our lives. In most cases, these may be well marked and, whether it be in life or on a highway, the signposts can show us the way to go.

But often, the course is not as well defined, and this usually means that we have to make decisions by our insight, intuition, or experience. This may not be as clearcut as it may seem. If, when travelling down a highway or crossroad, the path is not marked, which branch do you take? Most people would probably take the road that seems to be the most used. If one branch is paved and the other not, then the paved road would most likely lead to a desired location. Likewise, if one branch is well worn or wide and the other only slightly worn or narrow, most would take the first branch. After all, most would like to be where everyone else is and the majority can’t be wrong can they?

So considering all this, most of us go on the paved road, the wide road, and the well used road regardless of what our innermost intuition would indicate. We follow the crowd.

The Bible talks about this when Matthew states:

Enter by the narrow gate; 

for wide is the gate and broad is the way

that leads to destruction,

and there are many who go in by it.

Because narrow is the gate

and difficult is the way which leads to life,

and there are few who find it.

(Matthew 7:13-14) 

As we enter into a new year, perhaps it would be good to realize that the paved road or the wide and well-travelled road may not be the right way after all, and the masses may just be following each other in the wrong direction. Perhaps that inner voice implying that there is something better in the less popular route should ultimately be listened to. After all, as Frost said:

I took the road less travelled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Taking the less travelled road in today’s world is certainly something to think about.

*The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost (1915) - https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44272/the-road-not-taken