The Royal Road Less Travelled

The royal road has been defined as a 'way or method that presents no difficulties'.
I came across the term whilst surfing up at Scout. I couldn't connect to their WiFi and had to tether to my phone. I thought to myself, "the royal road, no difficulties!! No difficulties once you have become royal! There are so many great sayings out there. The challenge is becoming the embodiment of them and remaining that.

Being royal means having the power to discern. It's easier to discern when I can see clearly, when I'm not confused, when my path is clear, when I know where I'm going. Like in the picture of the Royal Road in Persia below. It looks so easy to traverse. Free from obstacles.

I've come to learn the benefits in obstacles whilst on the road to becoming royal. Obstacles are indicating something. Obstacles to happiness. Something that is between me and happiness. Happiness is what humans strive for most of all. Happiness, joy, contentment even bliss. A life that is constantly this way is possible but it requires effort at this time. Distracting oneself is often easier but the fruit is only temporary.

The Royal Road was an ancient highway reorganized and rebuilt by the Persian king Darius the Great of the Achaemenid Empire in the 5th century BC. This straight and narrow road is symbolic to me of the focused attention needed to move through life.

The straight and narrow, but I'd always be wanting to scale the banks and see what's on the other side. Also, seems easy to become ambushed in such a place. Jammed in between walls. But I'm not so sure they fought that way back then. Honour was name of the game. Face to face on a battlefield, not sneaking up when you're not looking.

But that was then and this is now. Today we are often ambushed by the illusion of matter and who we are. So sticking to a straight and narrow path seems boring perhaps? But no, straight and narrow, a clear straight path frees up a lot of creative energy. And life cannot be boring when one is creative.

So I'm staying on the Royal Road Less Travelled. It's served me well. I'm achieving what I want to achieve and my days are filled with happiness and contentment.