It was a Tuesday afternoon and I was on a solitary voyage. After battling the ferocious winds and baring the sweltering heat I found myself feeling as though I was in paradise when I entered the well air conditioned metro station. I made my way to the platform and as I awaited the train's arrival I stared at the map of the metro routes, making sure I was on the right platform. Looking back at the experience in a metaphorical sense, I believe life is no different from this everyday experience.
In life there are rails, trains and destinations but there is no map. The rails take the form of options/opportunities, they branch out endlessly far more than we can imagine but they all have a destination. We take the train that we hope takes us to our desired destination, our decisions are fueled by faith and are hearts are pumping passion. The trains are the actions we take. In life there is no map, guided by the insatiable thirst to reach our destination we choose our train.
When I am seated in the train a lot of thoughts cross my mind but the music that I am usually listening to, drowns out these insignificant voices. But one particular thought that as made its way in this tapestry of random thoughts once or twice and broken into my concentration would be the fear of being on the wrong train. Then it immediately strikes me that even if that were the case, all it would take to get back in the right direction is a simple switch of trains.
In life many of us have experienced it, we taken the wrong train or en-route our journey we had a sudden change of mind. The aftermath of such a situation isn't pleasant but once you get back on your feet, things are usually fine. You get back on your feet by switching trains, exploring other opportunities, trying once again so as to get there. Even when it seems there isn't another way to get back on track, if you take a moment aside and contemplate patiently you'll realize a train heading to your destination is scheduled to arrive at the station you are waiting at.
After many a solitary voyage, this frequent voyage has become clockwork. After synchronizing my schedule with that of the well timed trains I have a perfectly timed out itinerary. I know exactly when I have to leave and when the train would arrive and how long it would take me to reach my destination. But if I am displaced from my timed out journey, the usually calm mood is replaced by a feeling of impatience and anxiety.
In contradiction, we can't always be sure when the train we wish to board in life will arrive. In fact most of the time we are not sure. Sometimes we miss the train we wished to take and are filled with despair. But we fail to realize that there always is another train headed towards that destination soon to arrive or there may even be a train following a simpler route to our destination soon to arrive. And that is the birthplace of the statement "there's always a next time."
Many board the train with me, many enter along the journey, many leave along the journey. They are all people I haven't met before and probably never will meet again. We share no words but at minimum we do share a fragment of our journey together. There are many who get off at the same station as me, but once those doors slide open and I welcome the heat, we are always headed in different directions.
The train you wish to take may have many passengers, but not all of them are headed for the same destination as you are. Feeling intimidated by them would be futile and pointless because ultimately even if they get off at the same station as you they are most likely to head towards a different destination. No matter how similar your aim or goal in life seems to another person's a few important differences definitely exist. So your so called competitors or rivals are just comrades with mutual interests. For this reason drowning yourself in jealousy or unhealthy competitiveness will get you no where.
I wrote this because I really enjoy my solitary voyage and I found something meaningful that I could relate it to. So that leaves me with the last and most important point:-
Buckle up and enjoy the journey. =D
