The Easy Path
At first glance, it might look as though I’ve taken the easy way on life. When I was in high school I created a class schedule with as many free spares as possible to avoid more work, I took the minimum required classes to receive my Bachelor of Commerce degree, and I’ve done my best to avoid “real work” ever since then. Even when it comes to health and fitness, I hack the system to get the body I want with as little work as possible.
But dig a little deeper and you’d find out that this is entirely not the case. In fact, I often feel like I’ve purposely avoided the easy route to make my life more tough.
Sure I might have been looking for a way to gain an education with minimal work…..I actually prefer calling it hacking. Actually, you’ve probably heard the word “life hacker” buzzing around….and I’d have to say that without even thinking about it, I hack whatever system I can.
But let’s get back to that easy thing. If I wanted easy, I would have taken over my Dad’s business years ago before he sold it. Being handed over a million dollar company would most definitely have made life pretty easy in a lot of ways. If I wanted easy, I wouldn’t be living in the Caribbean. This may be a vacation paradise, but unless you’re among the rich and famous…..life is anything but easy. If I was really after living easy, I would be surrounded with conveniences….not living extremely minimally (as for North American standards).
So what’s the deal? I may have just figured this out right now while writing about it. If I’m the one doing the hacking and finding a way to easify a situation. then I seem to be cool with it. If it’s living in the comforts and ease of Canada, receiving the benefits that living close to family have to offer, or anything else like that….I seem to avoid it. It’s in those situations where I take the un-easy route. Interesting.
Writing can be therapy, and this time it’s helped me dig a little deeper into what makes this boy tick. As I continue hacking systems to fit my Make it Happen lifestyle, I wonder if I’ll begin accepting easy.
How about you? Do you take the Easy Path, or the Path of Life?
Really thought provoking subject. I certainly dont think you have taken the easy path! I think you have taken a path that provides for an incredible set of life experiences for you and your family that you would not have had in a more traditional, somewhat protected/isolated, life. I think that it is reasonable to equate EASY with SECURITY. Easy, when talking about the path that you chose is often very very hard work, but it provides a sense of security in that you know you will wake up tomorrow with a roof over your head and food in the fridge.
The thing that I think YOU and your family have done with regards to this subject is that you, more than others, have CHOSEN the path, whatever it is that you want to call it. I think for most of us the path is chosen for us. I think most of us “chose” what is expected for us, by society, our families, our friends and it often is really not a choice at all. And we plod along doing the best we can within fairly narrow constraints.
I should have consulted with you before writing this post, Eric. Serious. What you wrote makes a whole lot of sense and helps me in figuring myself out better. You are definitely right in that easy equates to security. So very true. Thanks, my friend.