We live in very different times, and former ways of dealing with our
life path may no longer work so well.
Let’s say you have been walking through life, moving according to your
capacity, neither daring too much nor stopping. And then, an earthquake… It
would be difficult to remain standing and your steps would become erratic.
Uncertainty is the invisible earthquake we are living through nowadays,
constantly moving our steps away from what once seemed like a certain
destination.
What can we do?
Using the metaphor of walking, there are three interesting
possibilities:
- Be a traveler. Enjoy life with detachment. Be a guest
in a world of hosts and contribute as much as possible wherever you go. Learn,
grow as a human being and go beyond being affected by the reality around you.
- Sometimes, just wander. Different from a traveler, a wanderer
has no clear aim other than exploring. Life has so many different faces and
sometimes the only way to experience them is to let go of expectations and
simply flow.
- Become a pilgrim. I dreamed of being a traveler and ended
up becoming a wanderer… until I found my own path. I became a pilgrim. Life as
a pilgrimage means that there is only an objective in mind and the walking
itself becomes sacred. It brings satisfaction from within, not necessarily from
the outside environment.
Perhaps uncertain times are not asking us to walk faster or to find a
safer road. Perhaps they are inviting us to redefine what walking means.
A traveler explores.
A wanderer discovers.
A pilgrim walks with meaning.
And when the earth shakes beneath our feet, perhaps the most important
thing is not knowing exactly where we will arrive, but knowing why we keep
walking.
