A Warning to those who Desire Achievement.
A lesson from the parable of ‘Before the Law’ by Franz Kafka.
If you're not familiar, here is a brief summary:
We are introduced to the Gatekeeper.
A man comes “from the country” seeking entrance to the Law and is told he can't come in.
The man asks if he can have access later.
To which the gatekeeper replies, “It is possible, but not now.
All the while, the door remains open.
The man catches a glimpse inside.
The Gatekeeper notices and says:
“If it tempts you so much, try it in spite of my prohibition. But take note: I am powerful. And I am only the most lowly gatekeeper.”
Up against these difficulties, the man thinks that the Law should be accessible for all.
Intimidated, he decides to wait for permission.
There the man sits for years. Occasionally asking to be let in and being denied.
He resorts to gifts and other bribes.
The Gatekeeper accepts, “I am taking this only so that you do not think you have failed to do anything.”
Years pass. The man grows old.
Still awaiting entry to the Law and now moments from death, he gathers his last bit of energy for one final plea.
The Gatekeeper accommodates, “what do you want to know then? You are insatiable.”
The man says, “Everyone strives after the Law, so how is it that in these many years no one except me has requested entry?
Realizing the man near death, the Gatekeeper replies,
“Here no one else can gain entry, since this entrance was assigned only to you. I’m going now to close it.”
What does this parable mean to you?
If you have any wants and desires at all in business, sport, or life, *that* is the LAW.
YOU are the man from the country.
And your MIND in the Gatekeeper.
The man had faith. What he lacked was the will to take the leap.
He succumbed to the dread of the unknown.
In the end, it cost him everything as we learn the door was only meant for him all along.
Humans will wait their entire lives for permission to achieve their dreams.
If you know it’s all a charade, what would you do?