The Road to your Sanctuary

Photo Credit: Maria Laura Catalogna on Pexels

I came across a saying... 

"If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there."

When I started to unpack this statement, it prompted so many ideas for me. It was given within the context of an ideology that offered a solution with no vision or plan-in effect, no answers for the many questions people have in response to this ideology. The people offering up this ideology were basically asking "blindly give us your trust and support and we will deliver". This is the basis of a lot of groups we encounter in life, whether it is religion, politics or business. People get excited about an idea and believe they can use emotion to convince us they have the answers we are seeking. Then if we ask questions or ask for proof they have spent time considering their idea and the true impacts to us, they come back to the problem to point out what is wrong and counter with "don't you want to fix this?". They count on fear to sway us and gain our support.

The problem with this approach is that, without thinking more critically about our choices, we allow the emotion - the moral outrage, anger, or fear - to hijack our ability to ask the question "which road are you taking me down and what will be at the end?" Even more importantly, it stops us from asking "will this idea align with the vision I have for my life or the kind of world I want to experience?" If we don't take the time to really understand ourselves, we won't discover what it is that we are trying to accomplish with our lives. 

Every choice we make is a vote for our future experience. If we want freedom, yet we align ourselves with ideas that limit that freedom, that is what we are choosing. If that freedom is based on division or elitism or exceptionalism, then is it really freedom when we are told the choice we must make? It is a fallacy to say we have no choice. Not deciding is a choice. Choosing only what is offered is self-limiting, and also a choice. Not asking for clarity or proof or a plan is a choice. We limit ourselves all the time but that doesn't mean we don't have options. Choosing something for ourselves, that aligns with our values and that may not be reflected in the world around us is possible. 

If our sanctuary is filled with peace and unity, community and compassion, then we know what roads won't lead us there. It becomes easy to choose the path and there may be no one else walking it. We may even need to take the first step, but if we know where we are going, the path will always present itself. Some people look at the world and say "but I see no proof that peace is possible - there are no leaders showing us the way." I would ask you “do you hold peace in your heart?" If you answer yes, then you are the leader showing the way. Walk the path anyway. There are others seeking the same thing and if each of us takes this simple action, we will find each other naturally and our paths will merge because we are all walking towards the same vision. And as we meet and build our sanctuary, we can show others how to achieve the same thing for themselves.

So I encourage you to look within, to your inner wisdom, to know yourself and define your vision rather than look to others to define it for you. Ask questions and if the answers point to a problem, question even harder and consider whether or not the road you are being encouraged to take will lead you to a place you want to be. Follow it through to the end.

You get to choose.