Hey, you over there…

We didn’t start at the same spot, and chances are, not at the same time. You took the road to the left; I bore right. Perhaps you had more hills to climb while my road was level. You read the biography on the library shelf while I read the popular fiction. Your news came from the cable channel, while mine was the newspaper. My parents were positive that A was correct, while you and your single mom lived and knew Z.

And even though I can see you there, we aren’t in the same spot. Our paths crossed but never merged. I may see my resting place while yours is too far in the distance. We are different because we are and were shaped differently.

During our journeys, we encounter decisions and dilemmas large and small. Some have significant consequences for ourselves or others, while others are quite trivial.

We approach each with our own backgrounds, biases, strengths, weaknesses, and baggage. Einstein noted that “the only source of knowledge is experience.” And if our experiences are unique, so is the knowledge we bring.

It is a fool’s errand to believe or insist that our path to decisions will be the same for those who have traveled different paths with different experiences. While there may be universal truths, we do not arrive at them, see them, or experience them universally.

That means that your path to resolution, resolve, and action is yours to master and is uniquely yours. If pushed to take another, you have the right to pause, wonder, and choose your own way. Your time, your route, your destination.

— Andrew T. Smith

Andrew Smith is the creator and editor of Culture On The Line and is the artist owner of Visual Realia, LLC. Learn more about Andy at read.cv/visualrealia.

All works copyright Andrew T. Smith © 2023