Any Road Will Do

I came across a saying a few days ago and it has really struck a chord with me. The saying is:

"When you don't know where you're going, then any road will do."

I don't know who said it or when. It was just one of those little things I came across while surfing the Internet. I've thought a lot about the saying and what it means over the last few days. While at first it sounds like a rather innocent, meaningless observation, it most definitely is not, and what it doesn't say is equally important as what it does say.

I suppose there are two ways to interpret this saying. The first one sounds like a person describing a care-free Sunday drive. There is much fun and beauty in jumping into your car and traveling down some country roads you've never been before. You don't have a destination in mind, because that would ruin the spontaneity of the act. With no destination in mind, you can pick any road you choose and more than likely, you will enjoy the ride. The act of not having a destination almost is a destination in and of itself.

The second way to interpret this saying is to assume the author meant the journey of life and not a casual Sunday drive. When interpreted this way, the saying takes on a much deeper meaning. On one hand, it could imply that one should keep moving forward in life, taking opportunities that come, versus being too afraid to do anything different at all. On the other hand, one could say that this is a sarcastic little quip about what happens to someone who has no overall plan or direction in their lives. Things have a tendency to "just happen" to a person, and the saying implies that a lack of personal responsibility is a negative thing.

By saying "When you don't know where you're going, then any road will do," then the opposite can be equally implied.

If the saying was inversed, it would say:

"When you DO know where you're going, then any road will NOT do." (Capitalization for emphasis only)

This gives the reader a clue into how the saying should be interpreted, and I believe that the saying is basically warning against what could and most likely will happen to a person when their life lacks direction. If your life lacks direction, then your evaluation of circumstances, possibilities and opportunities becomes greatly hampered. You may choose roads that look appealing because at least you are moving, right? But sometimes you choose roads without looking far enough ahead into the future, and that can cause much heartache and grief. If you ever wonder why you are where you are, perhaps you did not have a direction to begin with. If you have no direction, how can you tell if you are in a good place or not?

However, if you do know where you are going, if you have a plan or a general direction, you can be more discretionary towards all the things that appear to be great opportunities on the surface. You will not be tempted by all those little side-paths, and you will have the ability to evaluate if the side-path really is just that - a dead end - or if it is a shortcut that if taken, will help you advance more quickly towards your destination. Direction allows you to actually be more spontaneous than not having any direction at all. You can choose which twist and turn or bump is worth taking and you can enjoy it more fully, knowing that you are still on the right path, headed in the right direction.