The Journey (revisited)

As I recall, I was resting against a blunt rock in the middle of a flat, barren, dismal stretch of land on the canyon floor. Surrounding this open plain were cliffs so majestic and bewitching for a moment I thought I heard the song of the sirens. The travelers of her paths have seldom been in the state of mediocrity - in which I found myself. For the paths of wisdom leading to the bluffs of enlightenment must be trodden only by the feet of eminent, knowledgeable men. And those feet must be sturdy so that they might carry the weight of knowledge needed to reach the top of the crag we call enlightenment. Enlightenment is to excel in every aspect of thought, or so I believed at the time.

So many times had I stumbled up the winding path, only to find the burden of wanting to be enlightened on all levels was anchoring me to the ground. I began to think of history's most enlightened people...Siddhartha Gautama, Mohammed, Socrates, Jesus Christ, Dalai Lama, even Albert Einstein could be considered one of humanities most enlightened minds. Einstein was a philosopher, theoretical physicist, mathematician, amateur musician (specifically violinist) and humanitarian, among other things. He was a true genius. I believe he lived in a permanent state of enlightenment.  He was one of those people that seemed to understand the secrets of the universe. So that is my goal. I will strive to excel in everything. "But look at your poor mathematics skills; that's not going to help you. See how you struggle to understand the words on the page? How many times has that nailed you down?" Daily my mind is clouded by selfish wants, pessimistic thoughts and deviousness.

Pushing the negative thoughts from my mind, I rested the weight of the burdensome load on my shoulders and once again began to trudge onward. A short time later I grew weary and settled alongside the path. At that moment I noticed a minute ant carrying a grain of sand to his mound. I began to inspect the mound more carefully and in doing so my hand blocked the ants path home. I realized then that though the intricacy of the mound was an engineering marvel, the real genius was the ants ability to redirect its path home despite obstacles in it's way. That ant was able to look at his problem from a different point of view; there in lies the enlightenment.

As I pondered my new insight, the brilliance of the crag caught my eye. While I realized I was not there yet, I looked down and saw that I was no longer at the bottom either. I recalled the steps of my journey thus far and once again had a revelation. It occurred to me that each step takes you closer to the bluffs. Each inch you move is a new perspective.  Enlightenment is not the destination. True enlightenment is seeing familiar scenes of life in a new light. Enlightenment is approaching each day, each path, each step with curiosity, creativity and determination to make each step count. Instead of striving for perfection or excellence in everything, it is wise to look outside yourself until the "you" disappears.

I arose to continue my quest and the knapsack of custom fell from my back.