Chapter 01
Lost in the Dark Wood
In the midway of this our mortal life, I found me in a gloomy wood, astray Gone from the path direct: and e’en to tell It were no easy task, how savage wild That forest, how robust and rough its growth, Which to remember only, my dismay Renews, in bitterness not far from death. Yet to discourse of what there good befell, All else will I relate discover’d there. How first I enter’d it I scarce can say, Such sleepy dullness in that instant weigh’d My senses down, when the true path I left, But when a mountain’s foot I…
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Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Own Blocked Path
Think of an area in your life where you keep trying the same approach but getting blocked. Draw or write out your 'mountain' (your goal), your 'beasts' (what's really stopping you), and identify who could be your 'Virgil' (someone who's successfully navigated a similar challenge). Then sketch the longer path you might need to take instead of the shortcut.
Consider:
- •Your 'beasts' are usually internal patterns, not external circumstances
- •The person who could guide you has likely faced similar struggles, not someone who had it easy
- •The longer path often involves facing uncomfortable truths about yourself
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you had to take the long way around a problem instead of the shortcut. What did you learn from that experience that you couldn't have learned from an easy fix?
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