The Choices We Make

Objective: To emphasize the importance of combining our work life with a life dedicated to love of nature and community service.


Close your eyes and breathe comfortably.
You are walking on a lonely road.
There is nothing much to be seen along the road.
You ask a passerby, “Where does this road end?”
He answers, “You will know when you reach the fork.”
You go on walking at a slow and measured pace.

Soon you reach the fork.
You see the sign that says: “This path ends here. Take the road left or right.”
The road on which you were walking was the road of innocence, where you were not called upon to make any big decisions.
Everything seemed to fall easily into place.
Now is your time to make a big decision.
The path on the right leads to the Fun City and you can see its bright lights in the distance; Manhattan-style skyscrapers, Vegas-style places for fun and amusement, stores and shopping plazas, apartment buildings.
The path to the left goes to a small town, a place in the hills, peaceful and serene, with clean air and water.
In a difficult choice like this, what do you choose?

You say to yourself:
I need the big city because I need to do my work.
I need the small town community because I want to nurture my spirit.
I need balance in my life.

You take the path on the left, with the hope that you will build your own connection with the material life, a bridge that connects the small community life to the business opportunities offered by a metropolis.
Imagine what kind of bridges will you need to build between the spiritual and the material parts of your life.
Who will help you build those bridges?
What material and spiritual resources you will need to connect these two cities?
Think about it and visualize these connections.

Imagine yourself commuting between these two worlds.
Imagine yourself bringing the fruits of one world to the other.
Imagine yourself living closer to sights and sounds of nature.
Imagine yourself doing work for a self-managed community.
Imagine yourself leading a spiritual life that is not disconnected with material needs of life.
Imagine yourself experiencing the joy that proper balance has brought into your life.

Open your eyes when you are ready.