“Two roads diverged in a wood and I– I took the one less traveled by And that has made all the difference.” -The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
Right now, we are at a crossroads. Our future obviously lies ahead. The world we imagine we want is the destination and the path decides when and if we arrive, if we are all aiming at the same target.
The paths are not picturesque. It is not a clear choice.
However, the one with the rougher terrain is my pick. I’m convinced that one leads to the world I want. The world of more peace, understanding, respect and love. There is acceptance and inclusion and wonder. The road is bumpy and difficult. There will be sweat and blood, probably tears. Hiking will likely be involved. I may curse a lot, and at times, question my sanity for embarking on this route. But it’ll be worth it if we can avoid the pitfalls of the paths we’ve taken in the past. Instead of giving into fear or pride, instead of segregating and blindly excluding, instead of needless shaming and jealous mockery, instead of relying on old thoughts and not embracing truths, instead of dictating belief, instead of dismissing points and failing to communicate, instead of repeating the mistakes of the past and present, we can choose to become what we believe we are meant to become. We can evolve again.
Society and humanity can grow, move past the shackles of historic errors.
It may seem like the whole world is changing. There are more demands for equality, for representation, for apologies for injustices, for admittance of privilege, for accepting gender fluidity. Those things were always there, though. They’re just getting more attention now; that’s what’s changed. It’s time to accept that reality. The world would be so different when we embrace all of this.
This is the future I want and I think we are nearing the true threshold of it. As a society, we can pick a path that takes on all those demands and walks with them. It’ll make us re-examine our lives and preconceptions. Again, it will not be easy. We may not reach the target in my lifetime. I will accept it if my sole legacy was taking the first few steps on this road.