Which way shall you see

“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” Marcus Aurelius was a king guided by the virtue of philosophy, marking him as the wisest king of Rome. A believer of Stoicism, Marcus believed in refining oneself through a course of action in one’s journey before reaching the end goal. This similar study shall serve as the sun to our essay’s solar system.

In this essay we shall discuss the meaning of life, not as a goal, but as a journey — what it teaches, how it affects us, what is made of an individual out of it, and where comes the end point.

When one views life as a collection of events, it is because they attempt to live in life through them, not for a specific end and this may take them to an uncertain place, but that marks the beauty of living life as a journey, because it sows seeds of experience in an individual — how one shall behave in certain situations, what are the facts to be considered, and other related qualities that arise in a human when they tend to gain from experience. The moment homosapiens left Africa to sail a journey to the land of the unknown, they started gaining through their daily life knowing . All of us have inherited it, but very few discovered and used it. Mahatma Gandhi was one of those very few individuals who recognized these abilities. His experiences of freedom struggle in colonial Africa and his way of bringing out tasks in a wise way enhanced his blood less combat tactics and when the model of Satyagraha and non-violence was applied to India, it turned out to be exceptionally powerful with the British government standing at cul-de-sac.

This experience plays a significant role in shaping our character. As the great greek philosopher Socrates regarded, “The unexamined life is not worth living, know thyself” - knowledge through experience shapes our character, our way of thinking,makes us capable of differentiating and being integral. The best sensation for these qualities was Raja Ram Mohan Roy. The injustice of Sati witnessed in his own home created a strong moral character out of him, the one that led him to raise his voice against such heinous crime against women and resulted in the investment of the Abolishment of Sati Act of 1829.

” If you can dream it , you can do it.”- Walt Disney

A strong character will make a man stand on a pedestal where the ultimate achievement will be that of a strong will. As the Father of the Nation regarded, “Strength does not come from physical capacity, it comes from an indomitable will,” Life is a beautiful journey and will makes it colourful. For instance, in the myth of Sisyphus, the Greek hero is bounded by God to roll a stone for eternity. This may be put as some sort of tragedy, but french existentialist Albert Camus added a twist to it by highlighting the fact that life is absurd and if one constantly seeks and ruminates about the end goal, the universe offers nothing. Truly, life is not only about any goal; rather, it is about engaging in the effort to make it a beautiful journey that makes a man aware of themselves, eventually giving life a meaning.

All the traits arise from treating life as a road trip to scientific and spiritual maturity. Experience, moral character, and indomitable will lead to the formation of an individual that serves as testimony for the “Great Man Theory” — a theory that states that world-class changes occur not because of destiny, but because some great individuals one day thought of holding control of the throne. Indian historical figures, especially the women in power - Rani Lakshmibai, Begum Hazrat Mahal, and Razia Sultana, who in those immense patriarchal times developed the strength to rule and make their word the law, often serve as fine examples of the Great Man Theory.

In this realm of the universe, we have a ‘this’ for every ‘that’ — for every light there is a shadow, for every good there is an evil, and for every avenge there is a revenge. One must never forget the evil in human nature, nor overlook it, for it is buried in the human psyche and serves as the only mass pit of destruction in the journey of life. William Shakespeare, in his Macbeth, explores this theme of human evilness through the character of Macbeth, who was an ambitious Scottish general but got consumed by his own vanity. Due to prophecy, he committed murder and ruined his life’s journey. Thomas Hobbes regarded human nature consist of fundamental selfishness, and Shakespeare’s Macbeth brings this fictional to life. Thinking that it is all flowers and petals would not be the recommended way, because “Man is neither an angel nor a beast — and he who acts the angel, acts the beast.”- Bastille. Indeed, if not commanded by the code of ethics, man may fall into the chamber of vice.

Standing in the current era, we must regard that we have stepped into this age of technological revolution. We are at crossroads, being carved by this speciality of maximum reward in minimum time — through social media culture or gaming culture. Either way, it has taken away our ability to love and live life as a journey, and instead find rushed shortcuts from reality towards virtuality, in and around all persona, where the true self is long gone. Since this is the case for the majority, we must remember that “Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.” We need to put great strength in learning how to unlearn these practices and live life around us — so much to explore, too little time. Applying this in character, morality, and experience, when one talks about the Great Man Theory beside Marcus Aurelius in your mind, stand you — because from some realities, fiction may arise, but living life as a journey give rise to fictional becoming reality.