OPINION — In life, there is an abundance of decisions to be made, many lead to extensive thought and hesitancy. Sometimes, life presents us with two seemingly conflicting paths that we must choose between. Situations like these arise feelings of uncertainty and leave us feeling immense pressure to choose the correct path in life. No matter how difficult it may feel in the moment, it’s extremely important to trust one’s intuition and choose a unique path, despite feeling pressured to follow the crowd. I think the best way to feel more confident in the decisions we make is to accept that the outcome of a decision can not be predicted. It is important to make decisions based on personal values, one should not feel regret for the choices that they make.
Throughout the poem, “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, the persona is struggling to decide which road to choose because of the unpredictability that each brings. In this quote: “Though as for that the passing there/Had worn them really about the same,/And both that morning equally lay/In leaves no step had trodden black.” They state that both roads look about the same, and there is no real way to tell what lies behind each path when solely judging by their appearance. The persona also states that they are unable to see where each path leads from where they are standing: “And looked down one as far as I could/To where it bent in the undergrowth;” Both of these concepts are similar to how in life, the future can not be predicted no matter what strategies are used to evaluate the options. The persona is beginning to accept that, there comes a time when fate must take command. In this line: “And sorry I could not travel both”, the persona acknowledges that there are no do-overs in life, and they can only choose one path to follow. This symbolizes the doubt and fears many of us experience when forced to make decisions that will have a lasting impact on the future.
There are ultimately two routes in life to follow, either conformity or independence. When the persona portrayed in the poem is deciding on which path to take, it takes them a long time to consider their options, “And be one traveller, long I stood” There is a slight connotation of sorrow from the persona while they are deciding: “And sorry I could not travel both” They wish they could travel both because they feel like they aren’t able to make make an educated decision since both paths appear to be the same. They’re left to trust their instincts and choose a path that they feel will result in the best outcome. At the end of the poem, the persona states: “I took the one less travelled by,/And that has made all the difference.” This suggests that in the end, they are content with their decision. They chose based on what they believe in and not just conforming to society’s idea of acceptable. Choosing a path of nonconformity has made them happy.
Trusting your intuition when making difficult decisions is the key to being confident in the choices you make, and will ultimately lead to finding happiness. It’s important to be confident in your morals and values, even if you make a choice to hold opinions that differs from the majority of other people. It is not possible to tell what the future holds, no matter how big or small the impact of a decision holds. Therefore, one must stay true to themselves along the way. Conforming to societal expectations will only leave you with doubts and the thought of, “what could have been” will always be lurking. Although it is not always easy to be confident in your individuality when making major decisions, staying genuine will lead to a life without regrets.
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