A River?

I wasn't great in Maths at school; in fact I sucked at it. I can't remember 90% of what we were taught. Thank God that I managed to master some simple calculations that I need for everyday life. And thank Him for calculators, conversion tables and Google to help with ‘adult school’. One of the few things I did manage to learn and retain is that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. So till today I always try to take straight routes if they are available. I know that while twists and turns and detours may be good for a story line, they are definitely not the best for me in terms of time and petrol. 

Take a trip with me along any river you know and you will notice that that particular maths truth is lost on the river. The rivers simply do not look for a straight path; they look for one without obstruction. The river is all curves and twists and it takes at least twice the required time to get to its destination. But then who is checking the time for a river? The river always looks for the path of least resistance. If it encounters a problem, a river never thinks it fit to channel a way through; it simply avoids it by going round it, never through it.  I understand that a river fulfills its function by behaving like this. Imagine if the great river Nile or Niger travelled a straight line. Many people would have been left unblessed by the life the water brings in its wake. A river may have been designed to function like that but is it the same for us as humans? 

Is it okay to always take the path of least resistance as humans? How do we do this? Simple- when we refuse to face and, or take decisive actions about issues; when we give up on goals because they appear too difficult to achieve; when we throw in the towel and refuse to take a fighting chance. I know that sometimes it is pure wisdom to wake away but it is a problem when turning away becomes a way of life. 

Walking a straight path; choosing the shortest distance does not mean the easiest way. It may include some traveling uphill on a bicycle. Ouch! It may mean travelling in a dark tunnel for a long time. It may mean getting into the river to swim some distance.  Keeping at an issue, staying the course until there is an achievement definitely requires effort and sheer determination. Sometimes we may think it is easier to just give up; drop that course; let that child be instead of getting into another argument, eating that extra slice of cake. It is hard but

I think that I don't want to be a river, I'll take a straight route even if it means I will huff and puff on the way. It will be worth the effort in the end.  What about you?

I Bi Dem