The Road Less Traveled
The Road Less Traveled by Scott M. Peck was a very interesting book to examine and read as well. The book opened up with a very subtle and truthful sentence. It stated that life is difficult. This raised certain thoughts and questions to society. What is the reasoning behind our difficulties and obstacles we encounter in our lifetime? How can life become bliss and serene? Although many questions derive from such a blunt sentence, the universal question that the author was trying to instill while reading this book was what prevents us from achieving our full potential as human beings? What keeps us from solving our emotional, spiritual, and psychological problems? Scott M. Peck believes that the conceptual ideas of discipline, love, growth and religion, and finally grace all bind together to provide the answers to these questions.
While I opened the book and began to read, the first-level reply is given in the first section of the book. It is said that we as a society and human beings lack discipline. When a problem is aroused and present, we as humans fail to confront and face them. We fail to solve our personal problems because it either is too painful, difficult, a time consuming process, or we just fail to do so because of our nature. The first section of this book is a discussion of what discipline is, how a person learns or fails to learn the idea of discipline, and how it applies to the basic problems of livin...
Both awe-inspiring and indescribable is life, the defined “state of being” that historians and scholars alike have been trying to put into words ever since written language was first created. And in the words of one such intellectual, Joshua J. Marine, “Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful”. Essentially, he is comparing life to a bowl of soup. Without challenges or hardship into which we can put forth effort and show our potential, it becomes a dull and flavorless broth. But for characters in novels like Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, and Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, the difficulties and trials that we all must face can transfigure the mundane liquid mixture of existence into a vibrant and fulfilling gumbo. The protagonists of these works are two strong-willed and highly admirable women, who prevail in the face of overwhelming odds stacked in everyone’s favor but theirs. In their trying periods of isolation brought about by cold and unwelcoming peers, particularly men, they give their lives meaning by simply pushing forward, and living to tell the tale.
This book really brings to light the neglect that some people are raised with. The thought that someone could come out of such a negligent past with compassion and understanding instead of bitterness is truly inspiring.... ... middle of paper ... ...
While buried, so deep beneath the cavity of adversity, finding hope is nearly impossible. But, it is the ability of decisions that aids as the last gleam of hope retrievable. After facing many struggles, it becomes almost involuntary for someone to put up a guard. With using that strategy, and the transgression of time without progress, there’s a certain ignition of comprehension. Change needs to occur, and a complete remedy of that
These are the words with which M. Scott Peck begins The Road Less Traveled. In his opinion, realizing that life is difficult is the first important step on the way to solving life's problems. The second, and perhaps most important, step to solving life's problems is realizing the need for discipline and understanding what discipline is. According to Peck (1978), "without discipline we can solve nothing. With total discipline we can solve all problems" (16-17). The relationships of various characters within the film "Dead Poets Society" shows that even total discipline is unable to solve all problems if its application does not involve love as well.
...a greater purpose than to only think selfishly, Amir is able to begin to develop a soul that is at peace with his mind. The novel, The Kite Runner instills that on humanity’s unending journey to true happiness, it is simply about developing, and awakening. Development is about realizing human potential and responding to life with morality and good judgment, while awakening is about discovering true nature and using God-given gifts and talents to give back to a world that offers so much to everybody. Only when the fundamentals of everyday life are transformed, and the transformation is genuinely felt, can it be said that true happiness is accomplished.
Going through life means experiencing great happiness but also great loss. Every loss we face may hurt and cause us grief, but we must let life take its course and endure the pain, for we cannot know true happiness without knowing true sorrow. Kahlil Gibran’s “The Prophet” discusses the hardships that come with pain and loss and gives insight about how a person can overcome that pain. Even the pain might hurt a great deal right now, the wound will only heal if we allow ourselves to feel that pain. As famous poet Lao Tsu once said, “Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”
Robert Frost masterfully uses straightforward diction and a metaphor in his poem “The Road Not Taken” to portray a speaker who is struggling to make a life changing decision, encouraging both the speaker and the readers towards introspection. Frost dramatizes the internal conflict and consequences involved in making an important decision; an experience all humans face many times in their lives. There will always be times in life when a decision that defines destiny and alters the course, must ultimately be decided. By creating a natural atmosphere, the entire poem emphasizes a metaphor in which a person’s journey through life is compared to a journey on a road. The speaker of the poem is forced to choose one path instead of another, knowing
In Ortberg’s The Life You’ve Always Wanted (2002), I found myself drawn to three chapters. These included: A “Dee Dah Day,” An Unhurried Life, and A Life of Freedom. As I read the chapters, I found they each one seemed to build on the other. Ortberg (2002) described how to focus on the little things that bring joy to your life, slow down and appreciate the beauty in God’s work, and live your life in a manner where you seek only to follow in Jesus’ footsteps as opposed to being addicted to the approval of others.
As Theodore Roosevelt once said, “…there is no effort without error and shortcoming;” and having read Brené Brown’s The Gifts of Imperfection and Daring Greatly, I wholeheartedly agree with that statement, and Brown’s decision to include it in her book. I chose to read Daring Greatly because I love Brown’s witty remarks and humor, also because it seemed like a book I might actually take something away from, and I was not wrong. I have never been the type of person to read self-help books, but Brown has made me a firm believer through both The Gifts of Imperfection and Daring Greatly, and I do not think you can truly reflect on one without also reflecting on the other. Through chapter after chapter of personal testimony, dedicated research,
Finding our path, or purpose in life may be a journey and although it might take
“The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost is a poem about choices. At the core, the poem is about different choices changing one’s life. A closer look, however, the reader begins to see the metaphors and question the deeper meaning of Frost’s work (Kirszner & Mandell, 2012).
Every person has had a challenge in their lives that has impacted the way they continue, some more substantial than others. The importance behind these obstacles is what one learns from it and whether or not they choose to let it obstruct their path or ensure development.
Similar to millions of high school students, 30 years ago I was assigned to read Robert Frost’s famous poem, The Road Not Taken and concluded the poem emphasized individuality and the power of choice. As a result, I have frequently shared, arguably the most well know passage of the poem with my children to encourage them to take their own path in life. Therefore, I would surmise both of my children can begrudgingly recite the last two lines of the poem “I took the one less traveled by and that has made all the difference” (Frost, 1915/2012, pg. 624). Subsequently, I am sure they will be gleefully amused to discover, after additional research I have concluded Frost’s celebrated poem is more complex and has a significantly deeper meaning beyond the encouragement of individuality and having the fortitude to travel your own path (Orr, 2015).
People don't truly accept life for what it is until they've actually tasted adversity and went through those misfortunes and suffering. We are put through many hardships in life, and we learn to understand and deal with those issues along the way. We find that life isn't just about finding one's self, but about creating and learning from our experiences and background. Adversity shapes what we are and who we become as individuals. Yann Martel's Life of Pi shows us that adverse situations help shape a person's identity and play a significant role in one's lief by determining one's capabilities and potential, shaping one's beliefs and values, and defining the importance and meaning of one's self.
The question now at hand is, what is discipline? The word discipline has fallen into ill repute through