Initiating a Path

“路是人踏出来的…” – Lu Xun, Father of Chinese Modern Literature.

The quote simply says that ‘A person initiates his/her own path’. I may not be able to translate it in a more beautiful phrase but it has been resonating in the back of my mind since I was a teenager.

When I was a teenager, I always have a feeling that something is lacking in my life. I was on a lookout for an answer which I couldn’t get and sometimes (or most of the time) I delved to those motivational or self help books in a quest to understand what is happening to me.

When I was in my junior high, I was introduced to Lu Xun and his works. Initially, I wasn’t paying any attention to his work. Back then, his short stories were being read to pass the exam as his works are the ‘in’ topic. However, there was one day, when I leisurely read one of many Lu Xun works that I came across the quote – ‘A person initiates his/her own path’. I was pretty sure I was depressed that time and looking for something to boost my spirit and that quote came at the right time.

I might be experiencing the same feeling that I had then that the quote keeps on echoing in my head even when I sleep. Initiating and choosing a path is definitely not an easy task to do… so, I wish myself all the best luck in the world!