June 3, 2009

No Road to Nowhere

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The writing workshop I am currently taking brought to mind the rich stories we all have. That brought to mind the following.....

Some months back I viewed a video put together by someone who had been a follower of The Way International. If I recall correctly, this person was involved with The Way for 2 to 3 years some decades ago. The song featured on the video was Nowhere Road. The photos were of various scenes and books depicting the 'dark side' of The Way.

It hurt to watch. I was left with tears on my cheeks thinking, "My life has not been a road to nowhere."

In fact, all roads lead somewhere....even if that somewhere is "nowhere."

I appreciated the artist's expression and I recognize that was what the video was....or at least that is my impression. By that I mean that the photos put with the song are artistic expression, not necessarily a literal fact of life.

I think people who left The Way decades ago and/or who were only involved for a short period of time, can state that The Way was a road to nowhere...for them.

I cannot say that. The Way was my entire formative adult years and beyond. I was involved from ages 18 to 46. I am now 50. It will be over 6 more years before I will have spent more time out of The Way than in The Way.

I lived those 28 years; I lived. I cried. I laughed. I loved. I hurt. I rejoiced. I was manipulated. I manipulated. I gave birth from the womb. I ended a life in the womb. I found myself. I lost myself.

I hope some can understand that those years for me were not a 'Nowhere Road.' They were very much part of my journey that has led me to where I am.

If someone were to ask me, "Well, isn't The Way a road to nowhere?"

At this point I'd answer, "No. As of when I departed in 2005 it was a dead road, fossilized, that would lead to something akin to a boring social club. Prior to that The Way was a road of many landscapes: adventure, joy, God, truth, enlightenment, service, legalism, totalism, licentiousness, lies, suppression, abuses, toxicity and all shades in between. The scenery one experienced depended on when and where one took the detour or if they took it as a main route."

All that said, I still accept, acknowledge, and honor the artist's expression and that for some people their experience was a Nowhere Road. And I too got tired....

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So what song comes to my mind regarding my journey? Hmmm... How 'bout Carole King's... Tapestry.



I searched for the Nowhere Road video. I found it, but it appears to have been redone. Some of the images are different. It has since disappeared.

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10 comments:

Chris Schumerth said...

Carol, I love that you are still searching for and having faith in the potential for meaning in your time with the Way, even as you have concluded that you needed to part ways. Life is like that I think.

oneperson said...

Thanks Chris....

Your words are a heart warmer and encouraging. I like that word en courage. *thumbsup* :-)

Thanks too for the conversations. They've been helpful for me.

This internet sure can be a great tool....

Cheers & peace,
Carol :-)

H said...

I really resonate with what you've expressed here. It's kind of like the saying, wherever go you, there you are. :-)

I'm reminded of the song by the Talking Heads, "Road To Nowhere". Here are the lyrics:

Well we know where we're goin'
But we don't know where we've been
And we know what we're knowin'
But we can't say what we've seen
And we're not little children
And we know what we want
And the future is certain
Give us time to work it out

We're on a road to nowhere
Come on inside
Takin' that ride to nowhere
We'll take that ride

I'm feelin okay this mornin'
And you know,
We're on the road to paradise
Here we go, here we go

Chorus

Maybe you wonder where you are
I don't care
Here is where time is on our side
Take you there...take you there

We're on a road to nowhere
We're on a road to nowhere
We're on a road to nowhere

There's a city in my mind
Come along and take that ride
And it's all right, baby, it's all right

And it's very far away
But it's growing day by day
And it's all right, baby, it's all right

They can tell you what to do
But they'll make a fool of you
And it's all right, baby, it's all right

We're on a road to nowhere...

oneperson said...

Thanks H! :-)

I am familiar with the song but have never read the lyrics. There are many layers to them. One that sticks out for me is...we are all on the road to nowhere. Ha! And we all end up somewhere.

I think of a quote I have in my kitchen: "If you don't know where you are going you can never get lost." ~herb cohen

Thanks for sharing H and I'm glad you could relate to the post.

((hugs))
~carol

Me too said...

Thanks for this post and the fuller perspective. I too, had some of the most exciting adventures of my life in over 2 decades within The Way. And I hurt and hurt others too. It's all part of my life. Then it dried up and I was so happy to get free.

oneperson said...

Thanks for reading and commenting Me too. Ha...I like that screen name "Me too." Reminds my of interdependence, a word I like regarding our humanity.

"Dried up." What an apt description.

Cheers to you!! :-)

ellen said...

Thank you for linking to this for me. It very much is a journey, and sometimes I forget that journeys are taken one step at a time with appropriate stops in between to rest and be refreshed.

oneperson said...

Hi Ellen,

Thank YOU for sharing on your blog. I've passed your link along to a couple folks who have found it helpful.

And thanks for stopping by and commenting. :-)

I'm currently needing one of those 'stops in between' that you mention. Sometimes I begin to look at an area of life and think I'm doing o.k. at it, at processing through something. And then, I discover otherwise. It's happened a couple times in the past few weeks.

I like a line from Elton John's song, "Mona Lisas and Had Hatters": "I thank the Lord for the people I have found." I think of the people who love me for who I am, warts and C-PTSD responses and all. Ha! Quite a few of those I've met via the internet waves and we have become good friends in 3-D life.

I look forward to reading more of your story as you continue to share....

In hope,
~carol :-)

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Carol! This post was very encouraging. Thanks for sharing.
Sometimes it is easy for me to discount my life experiences. Especially, since it is always easy to find someone who has lived a more difficult journey than I but we must never forget that every step we've taken and every road has brought us where we are today, even though sometimes it would be less painful to forget it all.
Thanks for your encouragement! I am so happy for you that you found the strength and courage to take a different path after being so indoctrinated. Grace to you!

oneperson said...

Thank You Amy!!!

And the same backatcha! To give voice to the journey is astoundingly liberating...at least it has been for me.

I look forward in continuing to read about your journey.

To life!

~carol :-)