Timeless Tools for Life's Challenges: Lessons on Character and Integrity
Life is a challenging journey, one where dangers–robbers, liars, and criminals–threaten our most valuable treasures: our character and virtues. In one of our 19th century guides, we're warned that these threats often come disguised, making it hard to distinguish friends from foes. To navigate this perilous path, this guide suggests two remedies: protecting ourselves by maintaining our honor and moral compass, and aiding others in their struggles against wickedness. Helping others not only strengthens them, but ourselves, and that mutual support makes everyone more resilient in times of danger.
This advice comes from Excelsior; or, Essays on Politeness, Education, and the Means of Attaining Success in Life, which was published in 1868. The guide is divided into two parts, the first “For Young Gentlemen,” and the second “For Young Ladies.” This portion is, in fact, from the first section, but is universal in its message.
The “journey of life” metaphor is so widespread throughout literature and popular culture because it captures the dynamic nature of existence; life is not a fixed point, but an ongoing evolution. The journey emerges from the path itself, with its twists and turns, triumphs and setbacks, and it is as significant as any predetermined endpoint. The path encourages us to cherish the process of growth and embrace the lessons learned along the way. The analogy is usually organized in as follows: the starting point of birth, the diverse paths with choices to navigate, the inevitable obstacles and challenges, the spectrum of emotions from joy to sorrow, and the profound personal growth that emerges from each experience. Ultimately, if we look at life as a journey, it shifts the focus away from a singular destination and towards existence itself, inspiring us, perhaps, to appreciate every stage of life and learn from both successes and failures.
Below, the journey as described in Excelsior:
My young friends, we are all traveling this journey of life. Which of us is too well prepared? Is there anyone who has nothing to learn, so as to make the road a safe one for himself? Many of those who travel with us are certainly dangerous persons. Robbers lie in wait for us all along the route, ready to take our most valuable treasures. Thieves and pickpockets chat pleasantly with us, and wait for a chance to steal the jewels most precious to our souls. Liars are there to take away our good name ; and criminals of every grade stand waiting to trap us, each with his own particular wickedness. It would be a hard matter to guard ourselves against so much wrong, if we knew our enemies by sight; how much more so, when it is scarcely possible to tell the good from the bad!
Two remedies are left for us : to protect ourselves, and to aid the good against the wicked. We must first see that our own soul and body are pure ; that we may not be touched by the sin around us, and become wicked ourselves. We must guard every point, by wisdom and virtue, that no enemy may find a weak spot for attack. Then, when we ourselves have become secure, we must turn to help our fellows. And, after all, one of the best means of protecting ourselves is to help our neighbor. He will help us in turn; and thus we shall be doubly strong in time of danger.