This famous Robert Frost poem has been one of the most analyzed, quoted, anthologized poems in American poetry. I read it for the first time in school and would like to quote it here.
The Road Not Taken
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Since I've just been dabbling in English Literature I would not do justice to the poem if I try to analyze it. However, I would like to quote an analysis about this poem in my post.
"Robert Frost, in this poem, has been out walking the woods and comes to two roads, and he stands looking as far down each one as he can see. He would like to try out both, but doubts he could to that, so therefore he continues to look down the roads for a long time trying to make his decision about which road to take. The second one that he took seems less traveled, but as he thinks about it, he realizes that they were “really about the same.” This poem says that choice is inevitable but you never know what your choice will mean until you have lived it."
Our Choices
We all are faced with innumerable choices in life, no matter where we are or what we are doing, no one over the age of 15 is exempt of making a choice for himself or herself. Here I am talking about the life-altering decisions. The decisions where you choose fries versus mashed potato for your side dish unfortunately do not qualify. However difficult or unreasonable these choices seem, inescapably we have to choose one, in spite of poor visibility of its consequences into the future.
So, how do we decide? Just like Frost had little cognizance of the nature of the roads beyond what he could see from the point where he was standing, we too can only contemplate and make assumptions as to the outcome of our decisions. With just this much in hand, how do we make the right choice?
It is indeed a gamble of sorts. The only difference being that it is not a matter of money at the roulette wheel this time, it is our life at stake. Well, ummm... no pressure there! It is only after such an analysis that one tends to scrutinize one's decisions, without which all seemed fine and dandy. Right? Wrong.
There are decisions which are strongly ingrained as the "perfect" choices and no matter what you could never go wrong. However, one often tends to question the decisions and motives even after making it and taking the step. It is simply human nature at play. There are decisions which tend can make you falter, which can make you question your faith and even change your outlook toward life after the consequences.
It is the deadly "if only..." phrase that I am talking about.
If only had I done this sooner...
If only I hadn't chosen this path...
If only I had gone the other way...
In retrospection, it is wise to realise one's mistakes and learn from them. But there has to be a line drawn here. Every decision cannot be catagorized as a "mistake". One must learn to move on, accept the consequence and take things from there. It is this act of acceptance and deliberate action that adds on to one's character. It is the maturity gained from such experiences that people see through our personality, that people may come to respect.
Sometimes I like to embrace the optimist inside of me and try not to take life too seriously. I strongly, very very strongly believe in this phrase :
Whatever happens, Happens for the Best
Even though we may not know it at that time
I literally live by it, never regretting my past decisions, confident to take on new choices, following my heart, heeding my mind, with a sense of adventure and ofcourse a smile.
3 comments:
Hey Preksh, Totally agree..No regrets!! One of my beliefs...No regrets..and no matter what, try to learn from everything in your life that went 'not according to plan'.
Easier said than done, I know from personal experience...and being a pessimist, it is that much more difficult for me. But I am still learning to work with this perspective on life...
Hindsight after all is almost always 20/20... but unless you have a time machine, hindsight is of no use. N
ot to change decisions made in the past at least... All you can do is make the most of it, learn from the past and try and make the right choice in the future.
Regret never helps.. So,No regrets!
Cheers :-)
Very true - totally agree. I loved that poem and it is really true!
What you have said about moving on after making a decision is very important .. not wondering whether it was right or wrong is the most important. One has to take responsibility of what one decides and never ever blame anyone else for that.
And yes, I totally also agree to the fact that whatever happens, happens for the best ! And most of the times, it is true :)
Sometimes we get what we need and not what we want. Here is a story I received from a friend of mine and would love to share it here.
Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, "Someday, I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems and be decorated with intricate carvings. Everyone would see my beauty."
The second tree said, "Someday, I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."
Finally, the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time, and people will always remember me."
After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees.
One came to the first tree and said, "This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter," and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest. At the second tree, one of the other woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree. I should be able to sell it to the shipyard." The a second tree was happy, because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship. When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened, because it knew that, if it was cut down, its dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree, so I'll take this one," and he cut it down.
When the first tree arrived at the carpenter's, he was made into a feed box for animals, placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for. The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark.
The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.
Then a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth, and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.
Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose, and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said "Peace," and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.
Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets, and the crowd mocked the man who was carrying it. Finally, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at
the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on
it.
The moral of this story is that, when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you.
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