Imagine after a prolonged struggle to strengthen your determination to move out of your comfort zone and finally undertake the tedious task of treading alone in quietude on a predefined yet undefined path, you come across a junction, a division of that path into two; thus offering two choices to you.
It was expected; you were aware that you had to be decisive to choose the right, rational path yet you remain helpless in practising your now very pivotal decision-making and critical-thinking until the choices are presented to you.
On the left, darkness resides; sheer, shivery darkness. Huge, beast-like trees with corky trunks pave the right and left sides of the abnormally straight path with its windy interiors. The canopy thickens as your eyes try to wander into the depths of the forests but after some crucial metres, the trees do scatter. Straight in the eyes of darkness, there is a glistening shimmer of light, it’s a fire; it may as well be a hallucination; it’s abstract; it seems as if darkness is mocking at you for being a teeny-tiny creature in its vast expanse of terror. The road is surely short but certainly terrifying.
To the right, it is spring. Fresh and colourful flowers bloom on the trees and the bushes sweeten the air with their blossoms. It’s raining petals and the soft cooing of white doves, who are sitting on the shoulders of some figures which are apparently not scarecrows but marble angels, give profound relief to your ears. The sun is delicious and the aroma of fresh soil is mixed with the gentle breeze moving down the lane. As far as the eye could see there are vast stretches of thin, twisting lanes amid the fresh gardens. This will be a beautiful and refreshing path but a longer one with literally many twisting and turning roads.
You have to choose.
Just recall your main aim of why you are standing at that diversion pondering over a way to get past it; what for; what do you want to achieve or prove by getting past this diversion; what will happen after getting past this diversion. Answer these, and the strength to answer the question ‘how to’ will automatically enter your nerves.
Muster some strength and start walking on the road which appeals to you the most.
Take some time to reflect and measure the pros and cons of each path you choose. DECIDED?
You finally enter the diversion; the atmosphere is very welcoming. Fresh air, flowers, greenery, soothing birds and the twisty roads stretch over miles and miles of plain land. This is enjoyment – easy, stress-free. You move forward slowly, allowing the enchanting beauty of all the wonderful things present there to sink in. There are so many things to enjoy, for there are so many diversions; one road branches into two, the two into more two and so on. But wait, going too far on the literally twisting roads does not offer a way out of this fairyland. It’s not a park; it’s a labyrinth.
It would take a heavy heart to turn your back towards such a pleasant and comfortable environment but remember the first path is a shorter one.
Again, go, pick up your guts and enter the first path, ready to be swallowed by darkness. With heavy and fearful steps, you move forward.
TIP-TOP, TIP-TOP, TIP-TOP, you scurry along the wide, straight path; the atmosphere changing drastically. From a balanced air pressure outside, the inside is home to gusty winds. A sudden shiver suddenly travels across your whole body. You look up to see that the tall trees are sky-touching. The dark canopies press upon you as if a pillow is covering your face with pressure. You feel suffocated, you can’t breathe, you wish to run away and in the first place you do.
Keep your foothold firm, stay strong, this is a difficult situation and it’s not the time to stumble.
You look around, there is not the slightest change in the surroundings. The trees are as unwelcoming as before, oxygen level is still low, forehead is filled with stressed lines, mind is unable to take a decision. Straight ahead, the small fire-like light is still glinting while looking at you. It’s perched at the periphery of the terminal point of the forest where it is far away from you and aloof from the dark atmosphere. You get an awkward feeling and don’t want to continue with this journey. It’s easy to run away and difficult to hold. Walking ahead with difficulty, you keep looking at that glow of light. You want to turn your face away from this light, for it is difficult to keep looking at it. STEP, STEP, STEP, you move forward. It is terrifying, the trees give a feeling that there are wild animals prowling in their depths. You still keep looking at that fire; as you creep closer, it starts flickering, from being a continuous glow it starts faltering as you approach it; the nearer you move, the weaker it gets, and it is the weakest where the trees begin to scatter indicating your approaching the end of this dark forest.
Walk slowly and steadily,
It’s the end, don’t create a fuss;
Determinedly look at the fire, and walk stealthily,
Because that is where, lies your focus.