The Right Path

Two men started in the same place, and had the same destination. To the left of the men was an open prairie. The prairie was like the witch that Hansel and Gretel met. It looked sweet at first because it would eventually lead to the destination, but it had dangerous secrets no one could see. To the right of the men was a mountain appearing to be a thousand stories high. It was a single blade cutting into the sky. At first glance, the mountain was an ominous being; naturally striking fear with its shadowy figure. But to a man with a keen eye, beyond the hard work and dedication needed to scale the mountain, was a sure path to the final destination.

Irrationally, like a young child, the first man started for the prairie. The temptation of the initial ease was too hard to overcome, and he set off. The second man, the wiser of the two, started for the mountain, realizing which was truly the better path.

The first man walked very slowly for the beginning of the first day, and realizing that night was soon approaching, decided to travel extremely fast in order to get as far as he could before the Sun fell out of the sky. As the man rushed, he began to get very tired and had to set up camp while there was still daylight. He started a fire to keep himself warm from the frozen glare of the Moon, but could not keep it going as there was no wood in the prairie. The second man started his day at a good pace and pushed up the mountain. He knew his limitations, and as he got tired, he would take a short brake, and then continue until he got tired again. Because of this, the second man was able to travel the entire day until no more light shone. A fire was built and fed all night long with the pine trees that grew in the cracks of the slope.

As the second day on the prairie started, the cold and tired man started on his journey again. Since the man was cold and tired, he strayed from the correct path. He did not realize his fault, and/or didn’t care, and continued on this doomed path. Up on the mountain, the second man, warm and rejuvenated, also continued on his trek. Eventually, like any person, the man made a mistake, walked off course, and became lost. Unlike the first man however, he backtracked, found his mistake, and learning from it, continued on his way.

The third day brought a surprise for both men. As the man in the prairie sulked around, his shoes ripped and were beyond the point of repair. He blamed everything but himself for his troubles, and in a depressed state, felt sorry for himself, and gave up. Up in the mountain, a similar disaster occurred. The strenuous work put on the man’s shoes by the jagged rocks forced the seams open so much so that he could not use them. Knowing that life doesn’t always give you the pitch you’re looking for, the man continued on even though the knife- like, mountainous rocks cut his feet up.

Upon the fourth day, the man in the mountain reached the monster’s peak, and looking on the other side, saw what he had been striving for; himself. He had been found, and could have lived his days out on that side of the mountain. He should have been happy, but he knew his journey wasn’t over yet. Although the man had found the right path, he knew there were others still lost in the world. Because of this, he started back down the mountain, opposite of the Promised Land, towards the prairie. The man knew that someone needed a guide because he knew that the easy path isn’t always the right path.