The Recovery Journey

The music of Lennon and McCartney informed us about the values of being able to ‘Let It Be’ during our thought processes. Our life involves travelling many long and winding roads.

The road to recovery is another one of those journeys to be faced… “The long and winding road, that leads to your door, will never disappear…”

The ancient Chinese Taoist philosopher Lao Tzu reputedly opined that “the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step” – a logical and rational observation. After all, you are not going to get anywhere until you start to move. But it is also useful to remember, changes to our planned route can and will occur, regardless of the destination.

The route we have chosen and (hopefully) planned may require some amendments, if only to account for any diversions or barriers that we might face along the road. However, regardless of any meandering, our desired destination remains the same. Changes of direction and the time it takes to get to our target will always be variable – “There is nothing permanent except change” (Heraclitus).

We always need a goal. The great renaissance artist Michelangelo observed: “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark.” And, as the Cheshire Cat in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland pointed out, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.”

So often within military training we hear that age-old adage… ‘Failing to plan is planning to fail’ and for good reason. Having a goal without a plan is after all, little more than a desire or dream. Some people hold the belief that everything in life is down to fate, and beyond our control, which is only (in part) a sensible assumption. Yes, as Stoicism suggests, it can often be helpful to adopt the Amor Fati mindset. Some events and situations in life are clearly beyond our individual control.

The Latin phrase Amor Fati is most simply translated as “love of fate” or “love of one’s fate”. It is used to describe an attitude in which one sees everything that happens in one’s life, including suffering and loss, as good or, at the very least, necessary. And that is a valuable thought process. After all, some of our best learning opportunities, that help us to keep moving forward – productively, come from the variables and mistakes we encounter during our life. But remember Epictetus “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”

As the renowned physicist Stephen Hawking once observed, despite any impacts of fate, it is still helpful to plan for eventualities, where possible – “I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road.”

Most people will find that their pathway to recovery is no easy journey; however, those who succeed do not give up, once they have made that choice to tread that particular path. Yes, there will be hills, potholes and blockages along the way, but they will find that the destination was so worth the effort.

Keep driving forwards, keep heading towards the sunshine, you will not regret the journey once you get there!