The Roads We Travel

When I was nine years old my mother grew tired of driving me to school each day and decided to let me walk.  It took me about twenty minutes.  At first I stuck to the sidewalks next to the road my mom had driven, but after a few weeks I discovered the thrill of cutting across vacant lots and walking over the hill instead of around it.

Those vacant lots had well-worn trails created by many who preceded me.  At the time, I didn’t think about them at all.  I simply followed their path.  Today I realize that in our lives we each follow various metaphorical roads that have been surveyed, constructed, and used by others before us.

For example, think about language.  None of us invented English, Spanish, or Chinese.  I am still amazed when I hear a three-year-old child, or anyone else for that matter, speaking French.  But imagine a world without language.  How would I ask my wife to scratch my back?  By grunting and pointing, I suppose.  How would we name our children?

How would I communicate my thoughts to you?  The answer is that I wouldn’t.  There would be no email.  Could I even ponder such things as “psychology,” “coronavirus”, or “Greek Salad” without having the tool of language developed by others before me?

When one of my sons was attending Dartmouth Medical School he mentioned that Nathan Smith, who founded the school in 1797, for many years was the sole administrator and instructor.  Imagine that – one person knowing and teaching all a medical doctor needed to know.  Years ago, when I had a specific medical condition and called the appropriate specialist, his office asked me just one question, “Right knee or left knee?”  The human body hasn’t changed much during the past two hundred years, but the body of knowledge and the practice of medicine certainly have.

When Europeans settled in America a large majority were engaged in farming.  Today most of us travel a different road of employment.  Many of us sit in front of screens and tap on keyboards much of the day.  I find that strange.

Aside from just being philosophical, there is a significant practical value to thinking about the roads we travel.  How else can we evaluate the many paths we follow in life – at work, at play, and in connecting?  How can we make the best choices or even evaluate our present path if we don’t give ourselves the freedom to contemplate?

Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”  I wouldn’t go quite that far, but we all travel along so many roads and I believe that we benefit by occasionally standing up, looking around, and considering our journey.

Alan