He wondered if it would be a wise move, or one that would be worth the effort, or one that would change him into a different person. The previous path had signs. These signs made the walking easy because he was told where to step, where to look, when to feel successful, when to feel ashamed. Often, there were people along the side of the path telling him the same things the signs were saying.
"Step here and you will be happy. Don't step there because that will be a mistake and you should feel badly about it. And above all, don't look at the other path next to this one. It's a bad trail to be on."
He remembered following all the instructions and feeling good because he was told he would feel good for doing so.
At times, though, he also remembered feeling surprised when he would look over, for a brief moment ("don't look at the other path"), and see other people on the trail next to him, smiling, laughing even. However, he noticed more than anything else that they were progressing quicker on their trail. He wondered how they were able to step and not step where there were supposed to and not supposed to so much quicker than he and still remain positive and smiling and happy.
He felt a desire to know what it was these other people knew that he did not, what they saw that he could not.
Opposing this silent desire were the familiar voices and signs continuing to tell him where to step on his path. On a few occasions, he stepped where he was told not to and he felt very badly for going against the signs and speakers. Why did he step there? He may have been curious or not paying attention, or he may have seen a better way to progress on his path. Whatever the case, he went against the signs and speakers and felt guilty for it. Only after the guilt had passed was he able to progress further on his path.
He remembered looking over again and seeing people free to walk where they chose, free to explore their paths. If someone wanted to progress quickly, they could. If they wanted to be slow and enjoy the path more completely, they could.
So, he stepped off of trail he had been on and walked onto a new one.
The first, most obvious aspect he noticed was the light. The new path was bright, but not overpowering. Things were easier to see, easier to comprehend. He looked back at the old path and noticed the heavy dimness there. Looking again at his new path, there were no signs or people telling him where to step and not step. He was free to progress as he chose. Looking back again to the old path, he noticed people gesturing for him to come back, people with tears in their eyes, people he loved with pained looks on their faces. He could not understand how his loved ones could be in pain when he felt so enlightened and free. He felt pain for them, for their lack of understanding, but knew that he could not return.
He turned and looked ahead, feeling warm and free. The path stretched as far as he could see. He was ready to explore his new path with serenity and confidence. Was it a wise move? Despite a little bit of fear from taking such a bold move he believes so. Was it worth the effort? Absolutely! Did it change him into a different person? Absolutely not!
-Quinn
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