The horde to nowhere

It's scary to question the path, especially when everyone seems to be on the same one. As we march, surrounded by the crowd of followers, we see bodies aimlessly moving in the same direction.

It's scary to question the path, especially when everyone seems to be on the same one.

As we march, surrounded by the crowd of followers, we see bodies aimlessly moving in the same direction. It's impossible to imagine anything else is possible or exists if all we've ever seen, experienced and been told about is how to follow the horde.

The crowd constantly reminds us to keep going; it pushes us from behind and pulls us from the front. The promise of a destination lies ahead, but only if we keep going and try harder, so we don’t fall behind.

And so, every day, we continue on the well-travelled path, following the crowd, constantly reminding ourselves that we have to keep going and investing our energy and resources.

One day, we might be lucky enough to notice something different, the sun passing over us, moving from one side to the other. Something we've never seen before. Has it always been there?

We might not make much of it, but it sparks a curiosity we hadn't felt before.

From that day forth, some days we notice it, and others we don’t. As time goes on, we become increasingly aware of the sun to the point that we can no longer miss or deny its existence.

One day, with courage, we ask ourselves, what would happen if we followed it? It seems to travel in a direction we've never considered before. That question challenges everything we’ve been told about the current path.

We take our first step toward the light in the sky, a trajectory we've never been on before, entirely unknown to us. We struggle to make it through the crowd as they continue forward. We still sense the push and pull from them as we fight our way through. Eventually, we reach an opening that allows us to see beyond the crowd; it’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen. Fear takes over slightly, yet we know we are where we need to be; it's exciting and beautiful.

At that moment, two things would become possible.

First, we would discover the ability to slow down. No one behind us, pushing us to stay in line and no one ahead, making us feel we're not trying hard enough and falling behind. We could stop for a second, take a breath, gather our energy, and genuinely appreciate what we are experiencing for the very first time in our lives.

That would lead us to see the second thing: A variety of different paths to travel. Large paths. Narrow paths. Wavy paths. Some lightly travelled, some never travelled, and some already carrying a few brave souls.

We would have but one choice at that moment: to continue to be a follower or take the lead on our own path.

Miguel,
Sparknotion – Think Differently.