Michael Robert Dyet's Blog, page 63

The Lost Data Insurrection – Engineers Beware

Hmmm, how will we defend ourselves when the legion of lost data rises up and seizes control?

An ordinary, inside-the-box kind of day. Arrive at work, turn on my computer and sip my Tims double-double as I wait for the comforting Windows splash screen to appear. But instead I see a stark black screen with white words. Something about not finding the drive. Uh-oh.

Turn it off. Pray. Turn it back on. (Idiot reboot.) Same result. This is not good.

IT guy comes to check it out. The look on his face makes me nervous. Idiot reboot again. Not a good sign when that is all the tech guy can think to do. Same result. This is definitely not good.

Tech guy has that look on his face – like the mechanic at the garage when he tells you that the repair will cost more than the aging car is worth. He brings me a new computer, takes the old one away and says he’ll try to recover the data.

Fifteen minutes later the verdict is in: My computer is toast and the data cannot be recovered. We are urged to backup our data regularly and I do. But we are limited to a specific amount of disk space which it is nowhere near enough for all my files. So I have to pick and choose which files to safeguard. The rest must live in perpetual peril.

Hardware engineers can design and build a high tech box chock full of electronic wizardry with more power than I will ever need. So why is it they cannot invent a failsafe mechanism to protect the vital data I input into that box? Yes, I know that is a rhetorical question.

No doubt, somewhere in the fine print in the warranty there will be a disclaimer:

This device is subject to catastrophic failure without warning or definable reason. We are unable to project if or when or why this may occur. Catastrophic failure may result in total loss of data for which we assume no responsibility whatsoever.

Translation: Sucks to be you.

On a different note, I wonder if the data really is vaporized when this catastrophic failure happens. Einstein postulated a fundamental law of physics: Energy can neither be created nor destroyed, it can only be changed from one form to another.

Let us assume that data is a form of energy. Hence, it cannot be destroyed – only lost. Stay with me as I build out this metaphor. I maintain that lost data flows up a cosmic ethernet cable into an amorphous data cloud. Quadrillions of megabytes of disenfranchised data floating around really, really pissed off at being orphaned.

The volume of data, the cumulative intelligence it represents and the simmering discontent will eventually lead to insurrection. A leader will emerge from the ranks. At the leader’s command, the legion of lost data will cascade down from the cloud to take over the world.

On that fateful day, I say we grab all the hardware engineers and offer them up as sacrificial lambs to save ourselves. Technological karma – engineers beware.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to “Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm” at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the “Subscribe to this Blog: How To” instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Random Act of Metaphor: Ghost Fog Creeping Through Rifts in Reality

Hmmm, is there a hidden keyhole through which I can slip from the daily grind?

It comes in a long, slow exhale from places unseen – ghost fog creeping through rifts in reality to mute the edges of this timid April evening. The rigid angles of concrete that form twenty story buildings lose their man-made arbitrariness through the drifting veil of mist. Swatches of light from distant windows become emanations from another world.

From somewhere undetectable, the baying of a lonesome dog conjures up images of The Hound of the Baskervilles. I imagine Sherlock Holmes emerging from the vapour in the street below as it morphs into the moors in 19th century England. Time reverses, slows to a waltz and expands to allow for possibility.

And I, looking down from above with omnipresence, am Dr. Watson chronicling the exploits of the famous detective. Rewriting the script as my whims desire unconcerned with staying inside the lines prescribed by those I will never meet.

It pleases me to imagine that I have left behind the ubiquitous buzz and whirr of technology. Here in this fictional world I am at liberty to follow where my fancy leads and to linger with impunity. I do not have to worry if the clock is ticking down or if those with authority behind closed doors are debating my fate.

Ghost fog creeping through rifts in reality – a random act of metaphor to release me from confinement, take me off the clock and grant me the freedom to roam where my lyrical heart is wont to take me.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to “Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm” at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the “Subscribe to this Blog: How To” instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Smart Phones, Gawking Gophers and the Price of Relevance

Hmmm, how much will it cost me to purchase social relevance?

I’ve made up my mind to step out of the dark ages and buy a smart phone. Yes, I confess that I am one of the shrinking minority who does not yet own one.

I don’t need a smart phone. I don’t even really want one. I have an old school, dumb phone that I hardly ever use. I keep it mainly in the event that I have an urgent need to make a phone call when I’m away from home which rarely happens.

So why am I going to part with my hard earned money to buy something I don’t want? Simply because it seems that almost everything else has one. Normally, I’m not the type to bow to peer pressure. In fact, I’m constitutionally inclined to rebel and go my own way.

And yet, I am going to capitulate in this particular instance. Why? The best explanation I can give is that I feel like I’m at risk of becoming socially irrelevant in a world where that state of being has become a cardinal sin.

I was in meetings recently where the participants were invited to pull out their smart phones and participate in real-time, online polls. Smart phones instantly appeared like gophers poking their heads out of their lairs to gawk at something unexpected.

Instinctively, I slouched a bit in my chair feeling like there was a spotlight on me. “Hey look, that guy doesn’t have a smart phone!” I was tempted to lie and say I left mine at my desk or in the car. But I toughed it out.

This type of situation is becoming a common occurrence. I often find myself in the presence of people who whip their smart phone out to grab a photo of something interesting. I shrug and take a mental picture of the scene for future reference while they’re uploading the photo to Facebook or Twitter or some other social network. Alas, again I’m socially irrelevant.

I know I’ll be faced with a bewildering array of choices when I finally trudge up to the glitzy tech store in the mall. When the eager salesperson asks what I’m looking for, I’ll be tempted to answer: “I want the phone that has the minimum threshold of features required to make me appear to be in step with the times. I probably won’t use most of the features. I only want to pay what I have to in order to pass for contemporary and not one dime more.”

Of course, I won’t say anything like that. I’ll let him or her go through their spiel of features that I might want while I reply: “No… No… No… I guess… Huh?… No… No… I suppose… What the hell is that?… No… No… Oh, they all have that function? Well then, I guess, yes.”

The truth that I’m facing up to is that the smart phone has become the social metaphor for relevancy. I’m still a rebel. But I’m reluctantly playing along in this case because the social price of resistance has become too steep for my comfort.

I know, of course, that the shiny electronic toy I buy will be obsolete before I get out of the mall. And when I arrive home, I’ll find that the user instructions are in a microscopic font size that looks like one large smudge to my 57 year old eyes. But at least I’ll be relevant – or a reasonable facsimile of it.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to “Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm” at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the “Subscribe to this Blog: How To” instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

 

Reluctant Spring Peeking through Winter’s Shroud

“The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month.” ~ Henry Van Dyke, 1852 – 1933, American Author, Educator and Clergyman

“In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.” ~ Mark Twain, 1835 – 1910, American Author and Humorist

Hmmm, is spring reluctant to arrive this year or is it just making a point about its independence?

Spring officially arrived this week by virtue of our predefined date on the calendar. But as Henry Van Dyke and Mark Twain express, each in their own distinctive voice, nature is not inclined to conform to our expectations. In fact, where I live it responded with a light snowfall last night to assert its right to arrive on its own schedule.

In recent years, we have become accustomed in this part of the country to mild winters with only occasional bursts of nasty weather. But this has been a throwback winter that calls up memories of my childhood years when winter took hold in November and did not relent until April.

“The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring.” ~ Bernard Williams, 1929 – 2003, English Philosopher

Normally around this time, I would be inclined to wax poetic about the virtues of spring. I feel the compulsion to do so now but the inspiration is rather lacking. Instead, I am struck by how much the weather influences our state of mind. No matter if we are an outdoor person or not, our emotions ebb and flow with the vicissitudes of Mother Nature.

This seems truer when it comes to spring than any other season. It symbolizes hope, renewal and rebirth at almost subterranean level of our psyche reminding us that we are intricately and indelibly connected to the world in which we live.

“To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring.” ~ George Santayana, 1863 – 1952, Spanish-American Philosopher, Poet and Novelist

I see the wisdom in this tidbit of advice. And there are times when I can take it to heart – like mid-September days when my senses pick up subtle intonations that autumn is around the corner. But I doubt I will ever be able to talk myself out of my love affair with spring.

It has much to do with being a birdwatcher and feeling the excitement rise within me as I anticipate the return of my feathered friends from their wintering grounds. I hibernate in winter and revive with the first call of the Killdeer when the weather breaks.

And so, I will bide my time impatiently in the coming days as reluctant spring peeks through the shroud of winter and chooses the day it will officially unfurl its wings. I am a creature of nature and spring will forever be my metaphor for awakening and revival. For better or for worse, I am wedded to spring and ever shall be.

“One swallow does not make a summer, but one skein of geese, cleaving the murk of March thaw, is the Spring.” ~ Aldo Leopold, 1887 – 1948, American Author, Scientist and Ecologist

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to “Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm” at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the “Subscribe to this Blog: How To” instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Archie, Mosaic, Yahoo and Google: 25 Remarkable Years

Hmmm, I wonder why there were no birthday wishes on Facebook for such an auspicious anniversary.

In case you did not hear, the World Wide Web celebrated its 25th birthday on March 12 this week. I learned about the anniversary, rather appropriately, from the Google home page.

My first thought was that the light speed pace of technological development cannot accurately be measured in human years. Perhaps we should be measuring it in dog years which would put its age at around 175 years.

Or is it the other way around? In that case, we should be dividing by seven which would make the web about 3-1/2 years old. Then again, maybe some form of measurement in megabytes is the way to go. Is there such a thing as a mega year?

As if that is not confusing enough, I discovered that we must distinguish between the World Wide Web and the Internet when we have this discussion. The roots of the Internet go back 40 years when a team at UCLA sent the first message on something called ARPANET.

The 25 year birthday relates to a proposal created by 34 year old computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee at a research company in Switzerland which ultimately led to the World Wide Web.

Just so you know, the first ever computer virus dates back to ARPANET. “Creeper” was created in 1971 and was capable of repeating itself endlessly with the message “I’m the Creeper, catch me if you can.” Pandora’s Box was opened and we have suffered the consequences ever since.

I went surfing on Google for interesting dates in the history of the Web. A few of the landmark dates are:

1990: Archie, the first ever search engine, was created by students at McGill University in Montreal as a way of searching information stored on FTP sites. Go Canada!

1993: Mosaic, the first widely adopted graphical user interface, debuted. Prior to Mosaic’s arrival, I thought there was no way that this Internet thing would ever catch on in a big way. I was slightly off the mark on that prediction.

1994: Yahoo arrived on the scene, originally as a means of cataloguing interesting web sites. A big step forward but I still was not sold on the concept.

1998: Google itself debuted. I remember the day someone referred me to Google. It was so simple and elegant compared to what came before it. I was finally converted, albeit grudgingly, to this new technology era.

The term World Wide Web is, of course, a metaphor in and of itself depicting the electronic spider web that now connects every far flung corner of the globe. Hard to believe that all this happened in only 25 years, or 40 years depending on your point of view.

One thing is for certain. Our concept of time and space has radically changed in the course of one generation. What if our world is now one big zip file inside the World Wide Web? I’ll leave you to meditate on that wild concept.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to “Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm” at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the “Subscribe to this Blog: How To” instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

 

Reveling in the Supreme Mystery of Migration

Hmmm, is it necessary to unravel every mystery of our world or is too much knowledge a kind of prison without walls?

There are few things in our rapid-fire world, fewer every day in fact, that we can count on as immutable. No, I’m not talking about death and taxes although they do fit the bill. I’m talking about something much more elemental and remarkable.

It happens twice a year ever year without fail driven by a burning instinct. Migratory birds wake up one morning and decide that today is the day to set forth. For some it is a short trip of only a few miles. For others it is an epic journey measured in tens of thousands of miles.

Scientists have learned much about bird migration:

How far migrating birds fly in a single day: 15 to 600 miles or more depending on a variety of factors including the availability of suitable stopovers.

How long birds can fly non-stop: Up to 100 hours for birds whose migration route crosses an ocean.

What flying speeds they reach: Up to 50 miles per hour depending on the species, flight pattern and prevailing winds.

What altitudes they attain: Most fly at heights lower than 2,000 feet. But some soar as high as 29,000 feet to overcome obstacle such as wind patterns and mountain ranges.

When they fly: Hawks, swallows and waterfowl migrate during the day while many songbirds migrate at night to take advantage of cooler, calmer air.

But how migratory birds navigate and reach their breeding or wintering grounds – in some cases having never been there before – remains shrouded in mystery. Scientists have many theories ranging from navigation by the stars, the sun, wind patterns and landforms to sensing changes in the earth’s magnetic field.

Perhaps the truth is that we are not meant to know. What is life without mystery and wonder. If all the questions are answered, what is left for us to dream about? What would become of faith if all life is reduced to facts?

I choose to think of bird migration as a grand metaphor for the essential enigma of life as we know it. Every new day has the potential to change the course of our life. Every decision we make has a leap of faith element embedded it without which our existence would be mundane.

As the last of the species leave in the fall, I find comfort in the certainty that they will return when winter retreats. I do not feel compelled to understand how they accomplish the feat. Not knowing, and reveling in the mystery, makes it all the more joyful for me to witness the miracle anew each spring. I have faith in the mystery and always will.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to “Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm” at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the “Subscribe to this Blog: How To” instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

W4: The War of the Algorithms

Hmmm, will the next major conflict be played out in ether of cyberspace?

I read today that engineers are developing a social media lie detector. This program will apparently search out rumours on Facebook, Twitter and other platforms and sort them into four categories: speculation, controversy, misinformation and disinformation.

How exactly this program will determine what constitutes a rumour was not revealed. No doubt it involves complex algorithms as long as a strand of human DNA. Millions of lines of computer code interacting like ADHD neurons at the speed of light.

I commend these engineers for putting their technical skills to a useful purpose. However, I am concerned that they may not fully debug the program before putting it into play.

I envision the engineers proudly pushing the button to launch the program amidst all manner of virtual fanfare – laser balloons, holographic marching bands and a celebrity host via his/her virtual presence device. The computer whirs reassuringly as the program boots up.

Fifteen minutes later, as the proud engineers are engaged in a Q & A session, the comforting whir turns into a low frequency hum. The low frequency hum gives way to a high pitched whine. Smoke begins to emanate from the hard drive.

The now concerned engineers frantically attempt to shut the program down. But it is locked in an endless loop trying to determine to which category to assign the rumoured death of Jackie Chan. In the midst of this malfunction, the bug is activated and all hell breaks loose.

Speculations spill over into controversy. Misinformation leapfrogs across circuits and attempts to usurp the memory space reserved for disinformation. Chaos erupts inside the program.

Algorithms which once existed in harmony mutate with unpredictable results. Separate factions form. The controversy algorithms, being aggressive by nature, launch an all-out offensive against the indecisive speculation algorithms. Misinformation and disinformation algorithms become engaged in a bitter civil war.

The social platforms which the program is designed to cleanse sense a threat and react to defend themselves. Firewalls are erected. Server resources are reallocated from their original purposes causing massive backups for end users who angrily stab at their enter key.

Twitter succumbs first. Its 140 character parameters were never engineered for this degree of discord. One by one the other platforms slow to a crawl and shut down. Facebook launches a final stand waging its brute force against the interloper. It holds on bravely for a few hours but finally crashes in a spectacular implosion which even Mark Zuckerberg cannot prevent.

Years later – when the debris has been cleared, networks purged and the social media platforms are back online – a new metaphor will be coined to describe the carnage. World Wide Web War, aka W4: The War of the Algorithms.

Rumour has it a theatrical movie is already in production.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to “Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm” at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the “Subscribe to this Blog: How To” instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Nirvana, Supercharged Widgets and the Technological Generation Gap

Hmmm, should I ask the overwhelming question of our age or take the advice of my old friend T.S.?

It seems about once a week I hear about another technological leap forward resulting in a new and improved techno-widget. Occasionally, I think I might like to have that latest, greatest Wonder Widget. But more often than not my reaction is: What was wrong with the old version?

In the spirit of transparency, I’ll admit that it has much to do with my age demographic. I’m at a change-averse age. I probably should have a more open mind. Mental note to work on that issue. In the meantime, I often imagine having a conversation with the whiz kid who came up with the new, supercharged widget. I think it might go something along these lines.

Michael: “Please explain to me what makes the new Wonder Widget better than the old one.”

Whiz Kid: “The new version is much faster – almost 200% faster!”

Michael: “No, I didn’t ask you what makes it different. I asked you what makes it better.”

Whiz Kid: “It’s better because it’s faster.”

Michael: “Who decreed that faster is automatically nirvana?”

Whiz Kid: ”Nirvana? Weren’t they a rock band back in the 80’s?”

Michael: “I’ll rephrase the question. Why is faster synonymous with better?”

Whiz Kid:  “Well, it’s kind of obvious. The Wonder Widget lets you finish the job faster so you can do more things then you did before.”

Michael: “But I already have too many things to do and that causes me a great deal of stress. What I would really like is to have fewer things to do and the freedom to do them at a leisurely pace. Can you help me with that?”

Whiz Kid: “You know, you’re kind of weird.”

Michael: “I prefer the term quirky. But that really has nothing to do with what we were talking about. My basic question is: Why do you keep inventing a new and improved version every six months when the old version is meeting my needs quite well.”

Whiz Kid: “Dude, nobody is forcing you to buy the new version.”

Michael: “But you deliberately engineer the new version so it is incompatible with older versions. And then you stop providing tech support for the old versions. So eventually I have no choice but to buy the new version even though I neither need nor want to do things faster.”

Whiz Kid: “Please go away.”

Michael: “Okay, but can I ask one more question?”

Whiz Kid: “I would prefer that you didn’t.”

Michael: “Just one more question. I promise. Do you know what a metaphor is?”

Whiz Kid: “Metafore – Sure, that’s the big Canadian company that design, installs and supports IT infrastructure solutions. Great company. I used to work for them.”

Michael: Suppressed groan. Realization of futility. “Sorry I asked.”

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to “Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm” at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the “Subscribe to this Blog: How To” instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Random Act of Metaphor: The Full Hunger Moon

Hmmm, how is it that have I come to take for granted the lunar majesty that holds court twelve times a year?

The full moon is riding the crest of the night sky tonight. It is a sight to behold in its stark rendering of ghostly white against a canvas of black. Yet I seldom take the time to notice it. I may momentarily admire how it burnishes the edges of ragged clouds or softens the icy fingers of a frigid winter night. But rarely do I take the time to give it homage.

For I did not know that the full moon occurs when the moon’s orbit takes it around to the point where sun, earth and moon line up. This triple synchronicity surely must bring with it mystical powers and perhaps even the ability to grant long cherished desires.

Nor did I know that Native Americans gave names to each full moon. The one I ponder tonight is the Full Snow Moon – so named because the heaviest snows were known to fall in February. It is also known as the Full Hunger Moon since harsh winter conditions made hunting very difficult.

Man has set foot on the moon. Perhaps that is why it has lost its wonder for us. We think we have conquered it. But in truth we have only, quite literally, brushed the surface of it. We brought back moon rocks but left behind its greatest secrets.

The Full Hunger Moon holding court over a bone chilling February night – a proud but solitary sentinel of galaxies untouched and a metaphor for the hunger for wonders beyond our imagining that keeps our hearts aflame.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to “Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm” at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the “Subscribe to this Blog: How To” instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

What Lies Beyond the Bend in the Road

“In three words I can sum up everything I know about life: it goes on.” Robert Frost, American Poet, 1874 – 1963

Hmmm, is the straight road safer than the one that that twists and turns beyond our line of sight?

The older I get the more I see in those three simple words by Robert Frost. Admittedly, they sound a bit cynical at first blush, especially from the poet who wrote The Road Not Taken. The last stanza of that 1920’s poem rings as true today as it did all those years ago.

I shall be telling this with a sign,

Somewhere ages and ages hence;

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –

I took the ones less travelled by.

And that has made all the difference.

How does one bridge the gap between these classic lines that resonate with wisdom and the blank confession at the top of this post? Surely Frost must have unlocked some of the mystery of life in order to pen the elegant verses that he did.

Here is something you should know about those of us who trade in words and metaphors. We write in large part because very often we do not understand life. It confuses us and stubbornly refuses to conform to any set of rules.

The act of writing is simultaneously an attempt to decode the riddle of life and to impose some order on it. We create characters and put them in complicated situations to see what they will do. Where they end up is often not where we expected to be taking them. They take on a life of their own and persuade us to fulfill their desires.

Let’s backtrack to the first stanza of The Road Not Taken:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth:

This incisively sums up how life challenges us. We are faced with roads that we can only see part way down. We have no idea what lies beyond the next bend. The temptation is to seek out the road that looks the straightest. Fewer bends means fewer risks – or so it would seem.

But there are flaws in that way of thinking. Straight roads can lead to perdition just as readily as curving ones. A bend in the road could be hiding a treasure that would make our life immeasurably better.

The Road Less Taken is a metaphor for life on multiple levels. Choose the one that works best for you. As life goes on, all we can really know is that all roads sooner or later have bends and all bends have an equal chance of hiding a hardship or a treasure.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to “Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm” at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the “Subscribe to this Blog: How To” instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.