(340) The road not taken

By Janet Shin

Have you ever stood at a fork in the road hesitating about which way to go? Have you ever regretted as you had selected one while the other road looked more attractive or because you realized later that the other would have ended with a better result? It is needless to say all of us have has faced or will face this situation. ‘Regret’ may be the most likely emotion in this kind of experience rather than satisfaction.

I used to recite a poem, “The Road Not Taken” written by American poet Robert Frost (1874-1963). In the last stanza, it says,

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood and I ―

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

This poem is about the aspirations and retrospect of life and regret for the decision not to have chosen the alternative. Frost said later that this poem was about his friend Edward Thomas, who, according to Frost, “would be sorry he didn’t go the other, whichever road he went.”

Let me put it the other way round. “Buridan’s ass,” an ethical or logistical allegory, addresses a paradox regarding human indecisiveness. A donkey, standing just in the middle of two heaps of hay of equivalent size and quality, cannot make a decision without rational ground to start eating one rather than the other, which will lead him to starving. He should have chosen one just to appease his hunger but the hesitance caused him the worst consequence.

In Confucianism teaching, it is also said that ordinary humans are inevitably insufficient. Although a person of greatness may reach an equal state as the power of Heaven and Earth, the brightness of the sun and moon and the regularity of the four seasons, humans in general are required to wait for the decree of Heaven. While pure energy is given from Heaven and humans have a duty to follow it, in order to accomplish the order well, humans have to work hard and train the inner self sincerely. At the same time, when one encounters any situation in which it is hard to choose, he or she has to listen to the voice of the divine so as to continue on, which is better than indecisiveness and doing nothing.

Originally, the example of Buridan’s ass is designated to emphasize humanity’s free will so that humans can overcome dilemmas in life. The teaching of Eastern philosophy is not to foreclose free will as it appreciates that humanity is the most valuable existence in the cosmos. Its doctrine is rather about the affirmation of this world so humans must continue. Divination was essential for ordinary people including scholars to fulfill the responsibilities of life.

Are you interested in learning more about the

ancient Chinese teachings, the “Four Pillars of

Destiny” and Oriental ways of fortunetelling or

fortunetellers? Janet teaches saju for the public

at Seoul National University of Education. For further

information, visit Janet’s website at

www.sajufortuneteller.modoo.at or her blog,

https://blog.naver.com/janet_shin. You can also

contact her at 010-5414-7461 or email janetshin@

hotmail.com. The writer is the author of

“Life’s Secrets.”