Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, “To finish the moment, to find the journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom.”
Making the journey as interesting as the destination sounds great, and there are some great tips in this article here. Ultimately though, when I think about this article in the context of Emerson’s quote, I wonder if it’s more about who we are in the inside than what we do or see on the outside, that determines whether we succeed at making our journey as interesting. That, and whether or not we are traveling with a baby or small children!
Why, on some days, are we fascinated by the very things which might bore or even annoy us on another day? It’s not the things, it’s us!
For the journey to be as interesting as the destination, we have to start with the one thing that will be with us no matter what — ourselves. Every successful journey outward, or upward — for the more spiritually inclined — begins with at least a bit of a journey inward.
What inner trait could be cultivated to help make the journey as interesting as the destination? Curiosity? Openness to others? The ability to get comfortable with the unexpected?
Try setting aside the same number of minutes thinking about what you bring with you on the inside, as you spend packing your bag for your next trip. It’s all your “stuff”, so you might as well decide what you want to bring and why. Doing that, really can make the journey as interesting as the destination. Or maybe it just helps us appreciate that each stop is a destination. Or maybe that no destination is THE destination. ?And this journey is the wisdom that Emerson reflects upon.
Brad Hirschfield is the co-founder and co-executive editor of The Wisdom Daily. A rabbi, Brad has been featured on ABC’s Nightline UpClose, PBS’s Frontline, Fox News and National Public Radio. He wrote a long-standing column, “For God’s Sake,” for the Washington Post and has also written for The Huffington Post and Beliefnet.com. He authored the book You Don’t Have To Be Wrong For Me To Be Right: Finding Faith Without Fanaticism. Brad also serves as President of Clal, The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, a leadership training institute, think tank, and resource center in New York City.