The Road Not Taken

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;

Then took the other, as just as fair

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that, the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

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.

The diverging paths that separates us from one action to another . The paths that determine the next course of action . For everything that has happened , the paths influence us . We are left to think freely the moves that we make , but when it comes to making a decision , it is down to one move , the solitary judgement , that makes us .... or breaks us .

For me , i regard my daily life in a chess board . Or rather the actions that i take , i take them as piece movements in a chess board . Before making a movement , i contemplate the obvious moves , i perceive the most useful among them , i think of the consequences of executing the move , i anticipate the risk , i calculate the reactions that are bound to occur , i access the situation , i deploy the move . Everything i do , i try my best to think of the best options .

But , of course , life isn't that simple . Mistakes , errors , forced or unforced , both of it are always in our cards , whether we like it or not . We are mere humans , we are created imperfectly . We are prone to mistakes , whether we like it or not . However , as humans , we are special . We know the mistakes we make . And thus , we are able , not to avoid completely , but to minimize the mistakes made . We take it to the bare minimum , making sure it does not disrupt our work . Just as in a chessboard , mistakes are accepted , embraced , but always thought over . When we make an error , we look at it and then think of ways to overcome it . We do not overlook it .

If you are in a situation where you feel like you cannot decide upon your next move , what would you do ? If you can't move forward , what do you do ? What do you think you should do ? And then , what do you do ? Both are different . You can think about going around the obstacle , you can think of ploughing through with all your might and you can think of going back . But , when you eventually make your move , only ONE is used . Which one would it be ? A coward would go back and wait . An extremist will plough through . A thinker would continue thinking . A huge percentage of people would go around the blockage . In the end of it all , what would YOU do ?

These diverging paths become the center of thought of all humans . Do i take the left ? Do i take the right ? Do i go straight ? Which direction ought i take ? Whichever it is , the thought comes first , the actions later . Thats why , " think before you act " is a proverb which i feel as very worthwhile and excellent .

As in a chessboard , you think . You opponents think . You contemplate your move as they anticipate it . You think of the consequences of your move as they in turn think of their consequences of their move . You make your move , winding up your turn , as you pass the thinking cap to your opponent . You rethink it once the game is over , wondering to yourself .

Did i do it right ? Was it the best ?

You did what you thought was right . And yes , you tried your best .

Then again , was it really your best ?

HD