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“Midway on our life’s journey, I found myself In dark woods, the right road lost.”
There is nothing peculiar, or foreign, or even intrinsically different about this quote; it’s fairly self-explanatory and even more common. There will be a point in our lives – all of our lives - if there hasn’t been already, where we find ourselves in a dark woods, removed from life’s correct path. And during that time it will be this quest that we have begun to embark upon that ultimately offers us guidance and direction.
When lost or misguided, one’s mind undoubtedly begins to wander; and when one’s mind wanders, it questions; and when one’s mind questions, it effectively strips down that which its owner has worked to establish over the course of however many years. The mind and soul become susceptible to self-doubt, fear, inexplicable or uncharacteristic rebellion, and plenty of other detrimental attributes. Dante acknowledges this by referencing death, fear, and terror, all while describing himself as weary and tired, which I believe one can either interpret as the state of his mentality, or his physicality. Either way, his mental mindless wandering and erring has led him to unchartered inner territories.
And this is how the Quest essentially begins. Our inability to sustain the straight and arrow leads to our ability to wander and think. Although that wandering and thinking often attacks the fundamental aspects of our character and moral code – essentially the well from which we extract our beliefs – it is essential to our growth, if only spiritually. Dante acknowledges this, as does Milton, as does Hagel, as do the other countless philosophs, writers, and thinkers who’ve tried to outline the importance of the Quest. Until we cease fearing this inevitable inner journey whose destination will forever remain unknown and unforeseen, these great minds and their works will be of relevance. In many ways, their Quests live vicariously through ours, serving as the Vergil to our Dante and offering us the guidance required to undertake a journey more pertinent, significant, and necessary than I could describe.
So midway on our life’s Journey, when we’ve found ourselves in that dark woods having lost that right road, fall back on the foundation of guidance with which we’ve only begun to be supplied in this class – that’s what its here for.
There is nothing peculiar, or foreign, or even intrinsically different about this quote; it’s fairly self-explanatory and even more common. There will be a point in our lives – all of our lives - if there hasn’t been already, where we find ourselves in a dark woods, removed from life’s correct path. And during that time it will be this quest that we have begun to embark upon that ultimately offers us guidance and direction.
When lost or misguided, one’s mind undoubtedly begins to wander; and when one’s mind wanders, it questions; and when one’s mind questions, it effectively strips down that which its owner has worked to establish over the course of however many years. The mind and soul become susceptible to self-doubt, fear, inexplicable or uncharacteristic rebellion, and plenty of other detrimental attributes. Dante acknowledges this by referencing death, fear, and terror, all while describing himself as weary and tired, which I believe one can either interpret as the state of his mentality, or his physicality. Either way, his mental mindless wandering and erring has led him to unchartered inner territories.
And this is how the Quest essentially begins. Our inability to sustain the straight and arrow leads to our ability to wander and think. Although that wandering and thinking often attacks the fundamental aspects of our character and moral code – essentially the well from which we extract our beliefs – it is essential to our growth, if only spiritually. Dante acknowledges this, as does Milton, as does Hagel, as do the other countless philosophs, writers, and thinkers who’ve tried to outline the importance of the Quest. Until we cease fearing this inevitable inner journey whose destination will forever remain unknown and unforeseen, these great minds and their works will be of relevance. In many ways, their Quests live vicariously through ours, serving as the Vergil to our Dante and offering us the guidance required to undertake a journey more pertinent, significant, and necessary than I could describe.
So midway on our life’s Journey, when we’ve found ourselves in that dark woods having lost that right road, fall back on the foundation of guidance with which we’ve only begun to be supplied in this class – that’s what its here for.
- excerpt from a declamation written for my Philosophy class.
JbP
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