The Road Not Taken + a Thank You to Journey and Meaning Making - Christian Callaghan

 The Road Not Taken - Robert Frost

When I was thinking about readings that I should reflect upon for this class my mind immediately went to the Robert Frost poem “The Road Not Taken”. Why you might ask? Journey and Meaning Making is all about the decisions you make in life that lead you to where you are in your journey, and a poem about choosing between two paths is the perfect reflection for that. 

Frost states;

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; (lines 1-5)


This is the first decision compilation that many people have ground themselves on when think about what to do on their journey. As they can see that the path ahead has multiple way but they are not sure which to take. Though Dr. Redick's discussion I have learned your path will find you as long as you let it but that is hard for many people as letting the spirit take control of your path is a very uncomfortable feeling. I know because I often struggle with letting go of the worldy desires and allowing my spirit to guide me. 

Frost also mentions that;

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 (lines 16-20).

This is when people will realize that the decision they made has been worthwhile and that the effects of what they have done will be felt later in life. This is how I feel bout taking this class. I looked back at the day in which registration was open and I see myself picking the class “and that made all the difference” (line 20). Thank you, Dr. Redick. You have been a sensational teacher and a guide in my life to help me in discovering what it means to find my meaning.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Collective Unconscious and the Importance of Ego (Serial Experiments: Lain) - Carter Jobe

I just finished watching the short series Serial Experiments: Lain and was inspired to write this blog about the many spiritual inuendos that touched me throughout this experience, along with elements I found relevant to this class. There is an underlying element of the Jungian collective unconscious throughout the show, and it is represented by the Wired, a mix between the internet, a higher reality like a heaven, and a connection between all people and the world around them. The antagonist, "God", aims to deplete everyone's ego and superego along with their bodies, diminishing everyone into a digitized version of the collective unconscious. Humanity would become one, and there would be no sin or differences. Certain characters throughout the show commit themselves to this idea and rid themselves of their burdens to become a part of the wired.  Lain herself is compelled to do the same at one point. In the climax of the show, Lain claims that we don't need our bodies,...
Read more

Kip Redick Example Post

  Page 4 Michael Taussig would suggest Juan's understanding of the meaning of a place emerges out of the process of an imitation of all the “differences” that we discern there. We mimic (in language and action) the full range of sounds, movements, and other sensory perceptions that come to us from the more than human world.” It’s hard to put a place that strikes us as sublime into mere words; we can try to describe it as a feeling and try to put language to that feeling, but sometimes the feeling of the beauty of nature or the power of a sacred space is too big to try to translate or make sense of. Would every place and experience be subjective, and would the discourse be the same? Would the mountain top make me feel the same as another? Or does my personal experience with the natural world and divine keep it intimate/ unique, or would my experience be relatable enough? The author uses the messiness, ambiguity, and mystery of people's deeply personal experienc...
Read more

Dante's Inferno, a pilgrimage through hell

 Dante Alighieri was a prolific author of the 13th century. He wrote many pieces, but one that he is most well known for is his book Inferno. This book follows Dante as he travels through the seven rings of hell, he is guided by his now dead mentor Virgil. This book was the first piece of media from this time period to really explore the idea of what hell would entail. Each ring is split into level of sin, it starts with purgatory, an eternal waiting room for people who are between heaven and hell. The first ring is the tamest, with the least appalling of the eternal punishments. The last ring is for only the most atrocious of sinners and hold the worst punishments.     Dante travels through hell as a living man, so he has no fear of being tortured  as he journeys deeper into the pit of mans greatest threats. Dante begins cautious but excited, he has been given an opportunity of a life time, to document such a prolific place that is so deeply rooted in the core of so...
Read more