We are often most in the dark when we are the most certain, and the most enlightened when we are the most confused.
Scott Peck was not a man without fault, nor a stranger to trials. But nothing disqualified him from being a man who, through his book The Road Less Traveled altered the trajectory of my, and many other lives.
(I use the word “disqualified” intentionally, because there was a time when I thought it applied to me as a result of various circumstances and choices. Now I know better. None of us are disqualified.)
I woke this morning with Peck’s words on my mind. “Life is difficult,” he told me decades ago, giving me permission to accept the universality of what I knew to be true personally.
He taught me the wisdom of discipline and grace, love and faith and while I had many miles to travel before I more clearly understood (I’m still working on getting it), he planted seeds in the mind of a twenty-something young woman that grew deep roots.
I wonder what Peck would say about the world we find ourselves in now. I expect he’d just remind us of timeless principles he explored and shared with us in his work all those decades ago (The Road Less Traveled was published in 1978), principles that, if we heed them, have the power to help guide us through.
I’m looking forward to a contemplative morning attending a virtual retreat thanks to the wonders of modern technology. This afternoon, I think I’ll pull out my worn and loved copy of Peck’s book, curl up, and reacquaint myself with his wisdom. Goodness knows, I could use a refresher.
