[talk.philosophy.misc] The Open Road

jeff@necntc.UUCP (Jeff Janock) (10/08/86)

I almost posted this to net.general, but cross posted to the 
above groups.  I really would like for everyone to read this...

With all the talk about drugs and the fact that life appears
different to us in this day and age, I present the following
for all of you to ponder....

Print it off, let your friends, children, etc read it.
I look forward the responce this may generate.

[my father wrote this in the mid 1940's - he died last summer
 after fighting pancreatic cancer for almost two years. This
 was among his personal effects]

---------
                       The Open Road
                       by             Irving Janock
                                      English A.1.s.


     The open road in reality  is  actually  the  path  upon
which every boy and girl must take the future steps in life.
It may be, as one chooses to make it, the Golden  Carpet  to
success  and  happiness, or the dark, dingy, misleading path
upon which one might stumble through life.

     For various reasons, numerous boys and girls never give
the subject a second thought  through all the years of their
youth; some forget that when starting at  the  beginning  of
the open road, from then on the motto is, "Stand on your own
two feet".  On this path there will be no pal  to  help  the
humble  weak  person along, no friend to give him encourage-
ment, raise his morals, no teacher to put the object of  our
lesson  on  the  straight and narrow path, no dear mother to
comfort the woeful character in  his  despicable  condition,
and most of all, though the lowlife had in the path cheated,
lied, wormed his way through  our  educational  institutions
thinking  he was fooling the disciplinarians, he forgot that
he coudn't cheat and breeze his way through the  next  fifty
years of his life. It is either "do or die", "sink or swim",
"success or failure".

     The open road can be deceiving as it twists and  turns.
But,  a  good  man takes heed of its detours, warning one of
the dangerous byways.  It, of  course,  has  its  hardships,
heartbreaks,  sorrows,  terrible  obstacles to surmount, all
leading in the opposite direction of the Primrose Path,  the
easy way, and the sure path of self destruction.

     But at last the true and honest man comes through to  a
great and mighty Triumph and Success that he himself molded.
This success comes only to a true  thoroughbred,  and  cham-
pion,  with a staunch heart, and plenty of intestinal forti-
tude.  The open road is the pathway of life.  Tread it well.
----------

Jeff Janock
NEC Electronics Inc.
One Natick Executive Park
Natick, Massachusetts 01760
+1 617 655 8833

jeff@necntc.UUCP
jeff@necntc.NEC.COM

...cbosgd---aussjo-----\
...ll-xn----adelie------\
...harvard--talcott------!necntc!jeff
...encore---necis-------/
...gatech---gt-eedsp---/

dyer@spdcc.UUCP (Steve Dyer) (10/09/86)

Shouldn't this be submitted to Dear Abby (or is it Ann Landers...?)
-- 
Steve Dyer
dyer@harvard.HARVARD.EDU
{linus,wanginst,bbnccv,harvard,ima,ihnp4}!spdcc!dyer