Destinations have no paths.

What are paths?

I am sure you have taken a path, one day as a kid, to become an educated adult. You started on this path of babbling out monosyllables, and now you are reading this article written in sentences. I am sure there was a time that you could not do that. "Learning a language" is just a one path that we take in our lives. But there are numerous examples for paths. Consider following list of items as paths.

• A hiking trail up a mountain

• A road trip route from one city to another

• The trajectory of a thrown ball

• The orbit of a planet around a star

• The path of a river flowing to the sea

• A career progression (student → intern → professional → expert)

• A learning journey (basic math → algebra → calculus)

• The path of light through a lens

• A decision tree in problem-solving

• The browsing path through folders on a computer

A path

Anything which includes a movement through a trajectory, can be considered as having a path. In fact, this article seems to have a path of its own. First, I started by explaining a path, then a list of things which can be considered as paths and giving a definition from understanding of the examples. So, you are right at the middle of the way down the line I want you to take, as at the ending of the article I am going to show you what a destination is.

Path -> movement

What are destinations?

Merrium Webster Definition

1 : a place to which one is journeying or to which something is sent

when the package has reached its destination

kept their destination secret

2 : a place worthy of travel or an extended visit

a popular tourist destination

—often used before another noun

a destination restaurant

a destination resort

3 : the purpose for which something is predetermined or destined

4 : an act of appointing, setting aside for a purpose, or predetermining

Although above definition of destination came straight out of the Dictionary, I would say it doesn't capture the essentials of a destination. When I think about destinations, I can understand that it is different from paths, by having no paths. All paths can assume lead to destinations; some may point to the eternity. But destinations by definition should not have paths, but only paths leading towards it, or away from it. Destinations are for rest, lack of movement, or stillness.

Path -> movement

Destination -> stillness

Destination - Venice

Destination have no paths - What can you do with this knowledge?

I would say plenty. Consider a life as a combination of both. When there is less movement, stillness, silence know that you are at a destination and enjoy the silence in mindfulness. On the other hand, when there is lot of movement, know that it is just a path. When you know characteristic of destination, you can even create your own moments of stillness. You do not have to wait until everything falls into the right place to stop the journey. If you are walking in the park, you can just sit on a bench to make it a destination. When there is no movement of the mind the mind itself will become destination. You may stay there as long as you want, as there is no need to take a path unless destination becomes hostile. Which is unlikely to happen in a hurry. When you are on vacation, make sure you bring your mind to the present, and enjoy the destination. Without letting it wonder into the past and future, into unknown paths.

Isn't it a wonderful way to look at life?