Everyday Canvas

Destination or the Lack of It

Prompt:
"If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there." George Harrison
Do you agree?

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Actually, I don’t agree with anything that sounds pointless when I think about it. I don't know why anyone, let alone a Beatle, utters such tricky words that sound like they are so deep, while they aren’t.

Far from it. Surely, any road will do, as it will take you to a place unknown to you if you don’t have an inkling about your destination.

Instead of the George Harrison quote, I think the question Diana Ross asks in her song, “Do you know where you’re going to?” is clearer, and it delves deeper into the subject of destination, by making people think about their goals.

I always like to know where I am going or what I am doing, unless someone forces me into the unknown or kidnaps me. I care what happens to me, and I think everyone should care about what happens to them, too. If an adult person goes through life without an aim or a goal, with a let-it-happen-to-me attitude, he or she deserves what’s coming to her. Even small children with their next-to-nothing life experience do not want others to push them around.

A plan, an aim, or a goal focuses on effectiveness, efficiency, and impact. With a plan and a purpose, people can adapt to “road conditions.” They are sensitive to the “signs” and obstacles along the way, as they can fine-tune their strategies to avoid or overcome those things. They can also take advantage of opportunities, if they know where they are going. For aimless people there are no quick fixes, and they probably don’t care what happens to them either. Even certain beliefs and religions that advocate aimlessness have a goal: internal calm through aimlessness, if it is at all possible, which I believe doesn’t work, not in the long run.

At times, it is true that we can’t control every single thing that happens to us, and there are instances when we have to leave the going to chance, but still, there has to be a big picture for everyone. Otherwise, we will end up like fall leaves dropping from bare branches and drifting about aimlessly.