Greetings G.O. readers!
I find myself having another one of those moments where I’m lacking something compelling to say; but I don’t want to get out of practice of writing often and becoming a stranger again–so here I am writing something and hoping it will take me and you, the reader, somewhere interesting.
About 10 minutes later……
I was sitting reading different quotes, (as I love to do), when I thought about one of my favorites:
The hour of departure has arrived and we go our ways–I to die, and you to live. Which is better, only God knows.
-Socrates
I know at first glance, the quote seems kind of morbid; but I pull a different meaning from it.
The quote comes from Plato’s account of Socrates’ trial, entitled, “The Apology”, (Socrates has multiple charges brought up against him and makes a speech to the officials charging him). In the end Socrates is sentenced to death, (I know, still sounds kind of morbid).
For me however, the quote reminds me that we are all set on different paths. And no one can clearly say whether one person’s path is better than another’s. At the end of the day, only God knows that. We all sometimes, envy other people because the grass looks greener on their side of the fence, and we wonder why we didn’t have such “good” fortune. But we don’t know where that person’s path ultimately leads. Someone may have an awesome marriage that’s been going strong for years, and you’ve yet to be able to make a relationship last longer than six months. And even though it may seem that person’s situation is better than yours, you have to consider there are pros and cons with everything.
Marriages are hard work, and also have their ups and downs. Yes, there are some wonderful things about marriage that a single person is missing out on, but there are also some not so wonderful things about being married. On the flip side, there are also some pretty cool things about being single, (not having to consider anyone else when making a decision, only being responsible for yourself, none of the petty arguments that can come up in a marriage, being as sloppy or neat as you please, etc).
Relationships are only one example. There are many: being a parent vs. not being one; going to college vs. not going; moving to one city vs. moving to another; choosing one occupation vs. choosing another; making one decision vs. making another. With any given situation or life path, there are pros and cons. No one way is the perfect way. Being a mom brings many joys, but it can also bring many heartaches. Some people’s children grow up to greatly disappoint or hurt them. Some people end up having a child go missing or lose one to death. Whereas, a person who cannot have children or chooses not to, would never know any of these heartaches. They would miss out on all the happiness that comes along with parenthood, for sure, but they would never have to deal with a rebellious child or a kid who ends up going to jail or getting on drugs.
No one but God can ultimately know where someone’s situations and decisions will lead in the end. That’s deep, but it’s actually good news. We can use this information to stop the brutal comparisons we make among ourselves. And we can even use it to comfort us in situations as deep as Socrates’. Even when we lose people too early, no one can ultimately know who has the shorter end of the stick–the people who have left this life or the people still here. We who are still here have been given a wonderful gift that those gone on no longer have, but we who are still here must face certain challenges and heart aches that the ones now gone no longer have to deal with; and perhaps they have a peace and have gone on to new adventures, that the living can’t know right now, (not that we’re in a hurry to know).
So that was my rant on why I love this quote. Though we all go our separate ways on separate paths, we don’t have to envy each other. Each path is beautiful in its own way–each littered with jewels and each with sharp, cutting rocks. Let’s enjoy the jewels and deal gracefully with the rocks.
Here’s to wishing everyone a wonderful Wednesday!
Girl October
| One of my favorite quotes (not my pic). |