The Road Less Travelled: How Dr. Peck Redefined Personal Growth
Dr. M. Scott Peck, one of the most renowned and celebrated psychiatrists, begins his famous book, The Road Less Traveled, with this idea that life is not a bed of roses; it’s full of difficulties, challenges and upheavals. We have to accept that self-growth, spiritual maturity and mental grooming can’t be achieved without facing hard times, ups and downs and obstacles. Therefore, the writer is of the view that running away from problems, or avoiding them will never make one’s life easy, or the problems can’t be solved. Peck says, ‘problems do not go away. They must be worked through or else they remain, forever a barrier to the growth and development of the spirit.’ We must acknowledge that problems and challenges do exist, and only after that they can be tackled in a possible way.”
Moving forward, the writer is of the view that once problems are identified and realized, it is important to believe that they can’t be resolved immediately, or in days. It takes time. Change doesn’t come abruptly. There is a long way to it. Problem- solving is a long process; it requires energy, time and discipline. Once we start that process, we must be determined, disciplined and strong enough to reach the final goal. Hence, the idea of self-discipline is an important aspect of Pecks’ famous work. For Peck, the idea of self-discipline is a key. It means that we must not be lazy. Laziness brings non serious attitude, shortcuts, poor decision making,and makes people avoid hard work.
Another important part of the book deals with the concept of love. Peck argues that love is a choice. It is the combination of will and action. Moreover, the writer explains that we often think of love as something that can never be ignored. He says that “We’re often told that love makes the world go round. We’ve been told a lot about love, and often we’re led to believe that we won’t be truly happy until we find true love.” For the writer, this is very problematic in the sense that it makes us forget about our individual identities and self-awareness. Peck opines that love is Separateness; it is recognizing one’s individuality, purpose of life and personal journey. Love is not about being dependent; it’s not parasitism; it is about freedom. It is enough in love to give attention and care. There is no need for crazy feelings or dying. Love is realizing that every human being has choices and differences. In true love, it must be acknowledged as Peck says that “although they love each other, we can’t expect everyone we love to be just like us, no matter how much we want this.”
In the second half of the book, the writer discusses the idea of religion, and its role in spiritual growth and self- discipline. He is of the opinion that religion plays an important part in one’s life, and that “when life is difficult, spirituality will fill in all of the unknowns.” For Peck, religion has worldwide scope. Everyone has certain beliefs which guide him in one way or another. Such beliefs can be obstacles, or a source of motivation depends. The writer writes that “religion has been used as a weapon against us, or if it has been used as a source of comfort, we interpret it in different ways.” For him, neither religion or science is superior. He suggests that religion must always be open to change, and in this regard, science can greatly contribute to it.
The views and opinions expressed in this article/paper are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of The Spine Times.
Tayyab Wazir
The writer is a police officer.
