The Path to Life

Have you ever heard the old saying that people who get lost tend to walk in circles?

Jan L. Souman, a German psychologist, wanted to determine scientifically if this was true. He took participants of an experiment to a large forest area and to the Sahara desert and used a global positioning system to track where they went. They had no compass or any other device. Instructions to them were simple: walk in a straight line in the direction indicated.

Dr. Souman later described what happened. “[Some] of them walked on a cloudy day, with the sun hidden behind the clouds [and with no reference points in view]. … [They] all walked in circles, with [several] of them repeatedly crossing their own path without noticing it.” Other participants walked while the sun was shining, with faraway reference points in view. “These … followed an almost perfectly straight course" 

Without visible landmarks, human beings tend to walk in circles.

(Quoted by Eder Uchtdorf, Jan L. Souman and others, “Walking Straight into Circles,” Current Biology vol. 19 [Sept. 29, 2009], 1538–42)

There is a story in the Book of Mormon about the Tree of Life. It is a story that gives you a metaphor. There is a dark wasteland, with a narrow path going through it. Along this path there is a rod that people can grab, like a railing. Both the path and the rod lead to a BEAUTIFUL Tree, with DELICIOUS Fruit! But, as people came walking down the path, they soon encountered a dark mist, that blinded them. There was also a river close by, a filthy river.

As the people are walking through the wasteland, some get onto the path and some of those on the path hold onto the rod. As they are walking on the path, (and those walking OFF the path, as well) they come into the mist of darkness. Many who are on the path lose their way and wander off, unless they're holding onto the rod. Some might stumble across the path, and grab onto the rod. Maybe some of the people holding the rod call out to friends, and strangers to come and join them. Some of the people wandering around drown in the river. 

The people holding the rod finally come to the Tree of Life, and eat the fruit. Some are happy there, and stay at the tree, forever happy with the fruit. Some look around, and see something that makes them ashamed to be at the tree. They see a HUGE building full of people. This building is floating in the air, and the people inside are dressed in very stylish clothes. They are also laughing, laughing at the people who are at the tree. The people who are ashamed leave the tree, and try to get to the building, but many are drowned in the process. 

What does this big metaphor mean? (there's this cool part int he Book of Mormon where Nephi asks the same thing, and an angel appears, and shows him different scenes from the future, and Nephi figures it out, but I'll just tell you :))

The dark wasteland is the world. I think that there are some beautiful parts of the world, but compared to heaven... I'm sure is seems to be a wasteland. 

As we travel through the world, some find the path, which is the way to happiness. The rod represents the Gospel ("The Iron Rod is the Word of God").  The people on the path had a better chance of staying on the path if they knew the gospel/held on to the rod. The river is worldliness. Some people get lost (or drowned) in it. The tree is the Love of God, and Eternal Life

The people who make it to the tree,who actually BELIEVE the gospel stay at the tree, and are happy there. But some people look into the building, which represents the pride of the world. They look at these popular people, and they want to be like them more than they want to be with God, and so they leave the tree (and maybe they gradually do it, just a little step at a time), but they will most likely just get drowned in worldliness. 

But is that the end? Are there only a few who get to make it to the tree? 

No. 

Because there is a one-man rescue party that can go away from the path and rescue those who are lost. It's Christ, and he sacrificed himself to bring people back.

Here is a video showing people who were drowning in worldliness before they found the gospel.

This life can have purpose and can have joy, but it's sooo much easier to find lasting joy when you are on the path. 

After All We Can Do
By Robbie Pierce

I had been in that hole for a very long time-
In the dark and the damp, in the cold and the slime.
The shaft was above me; I saw it quite clear,
But there's no way I ever could reach it from here.
I could not remember the world way up there,
So I lost every hope and gave in to despair.


I knew nothing but darkness, the floor, and the wall.
Then from off in the distance I heard someone call:
"Get up! Get ready! There's nothing the matter!
Take rocks and take sticks and build up a fine ladder!"
This was a thought that had not crossed my mind,
I started to stack all the stones I could find.


When I ran out of stones, then old sticks were my goal,
For some way or another I'd climb from that hole.
I soon had a ladder that stood very tall,
And I thought, I'll soon leave this place once and for all!
I climbed up my ladder, a difficult chore,
For from lifting those boulders, my shoulders were sore.


I climbed up the ladder, but soon had to stop,
For my ladder stopped short, some ten feet from the top.
I went back down my ladder and felt all around,
But there were no more boulders, nor sticks to be found.
I sat down in the darkness and started to cry.
I'd done all I could do, and I gave my best try.
But in spite of my work, in this hole I must die.
And all I could do was to sit and think, Why?


Was my ladder too short? Was my hole much too deep?
Then from way up on high came a voice: "Do not weep."
And then faith, hope, and love entered into my chest
As the voice calmly told me that I'd done my best.


He said, You have worked hard, and your labor's been rough,
But the ladder you've built is at last tall enough.
So do not despair there is reason to hope,
Just climb up my ladder; I'll throw down my rope.
I climbed up my ladder, then climbed up the cored.
When I got to the top of it, there stood the Lord.


I've never been happier; my struggle was done.
I blinked in the brightness that came from the Son.
I fell to the ground as His feet I did kiss.
I cried, "Lord, can I ever repay Thee for this?"
He looked all about. There were holes in the ground.
They had people inside, and were seen all around.


There were thousands of holes that were damp dark and deep.
Then the Lord looked at me, and He said: "Feed my sheep,"
And He went on his way to save other lost souls.
So I got right to work, calling down to the holes,
"Get up! Get ready! There is nothing the matter!
Take rocks, and take sticks, and build up a fine ladder!"


It now was my calling to spread the good word,
The most glorious message that man ever heard:
That there's one who is coming to save one and all,
And we need to be ready when He gives the call.
He'll pull us all out of the holes that we're in
And save all our souls from cold, death, and from sin.

So do not lose faith; there is reason to hope:
Just climb up your ladder; He'll throw down His rope.