The 2024 election season in the US was difficult for many. Rancor has become commonplace. I believe many people, regardless for whom they voted, are confused, not able to fathom the viewpoints or priorities of others. Struggling to understand all this and find a healthy path forward as individuals and a country is not easy.

If all this has left you feeling  stuck, unhappy, or weary, please read The Road Less Traveled, by Scott M. Peck (1978).  I read this the first time more than 30 years ago, and it helped me grow as a person, more than any other book I’ve read. I’m not alone…the book was on the NY Times best seller list for 598 weeks and has been read by more than 10 million people.

Peck, a psychiatrist, shares bits of his own life and introduces some of his patients in this impactful book. Here are a few quotes from The Road Less Traveled:

“Life is a series of problems. Do we want to moan about them or solve them? Discipline is the basic set of tools we require to solve life’s problems. Without discipline we can solve nothing.”

“When we avoid legitimate suffering that results from dealing with problems, we also avoid the growth that problems demand from us.”

“Discipline is a basic set of tools we need to solve life’s problems… When we teach ourselves and our children discipline, we are teaching them and ourselves how to suffer and also how to grow.”

“What are these tools, these techniques of suffering, these means of experiencing the pain

of problems constructively that I call discipline? There are four:

• delaying gratification

• acceptance of responsibility

• dedication to truth

• balancing.”

I think Matthew Kelly’s words in 2020 about The Road Less Traveled are right on:

“What struck me as I reread this timeless classic was that we live in a troubled time filled it seems with problems. And yet, it seems we lack the tools en masse to solve these problems. We lack the strength of character to delay gratification. We lack the inner fortitude to accept responsibility. We seem more interested in our opinions and agendas than we are dedicated to truth. And our lives and our world lack the foundational balance necessary to thrive in a way that is sustainable.”

Peck’s book can help you solve all kinds of problems, not just societal problems. Think of your everyday problems—like an accumulation of junk in your home, unhealthy fixation to your phone, rising blood sugar, or deteriorating relationship. We all have problems.

Reading The Road Less Traveled is a great  way to learn how delaying gratification, acceptance of responsibility, dedication to truth, and balancing can equip us to solve your problems.

SUGGESTIONS:

1. Read The Road Less Traveled.

2. Consider how these four tool (delaying gratification, acceptance of responsibility, dedication to truth, and balancing)  could help our country better deal with problems such as our rising debt, growing inequality, or climbing temperatures.

3. Reflect on Isaiah 40:28-31 and embrace the hope.

Do you not know? Have you not heard?

The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.

Love,

Donna

EXTRAS

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Dr. Donna Chacko promotes health of body, mind, and spirit through her website (serenityandhealth.com), her blog, her podcast/vlog series, “Engaging with a Messy World” and " “Pop-Up Conversations on Health of Mind, Body, and Spirit,” and programs at her church. She is the author of Pilgrimage: A Doctor’s Healing Journey (Luminare Press, 2021), a recent best-seller on Amazon, 2022 Illumination Awards Gold Medal Winner, 2022 Reader Views Literary Award Gold Medal Winner, and 2022 Catholic Media Association First Place Awards.