The Road Less Traveled: Reconsidering the Easy Life

February 18, 2011 by Joseph Susanka

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Despite a lifetime spent misleading friends and suckers alike, Orsini is not beyond redemption. When Jacob is revealed to be far more aware and far more competent than his promoter would ever have suspected, their new-found knowledge becomes the catalyst that transforms them both.

The film's finale, though ambiguous, is a reminder that we flawed humans must reap what we sow; from the unreasonably idealized con man to the Ordinary Joe, even our seemingly insignificant actions have far-reaching consequences. As Orsini's life can attest, the Path of Least Resistance always looks good at that first crossroad. But over time, the burdens of sorrow and regret that it slowly adds to our lives prove far more tiring and troublesome than the more difficult choice. The true "long con" is the one we work upon ourselves, seeking ease and success at the expense of the Right and True. That way madness lies.

The Road Less Traveled seems hard, but to look at any path without taking into account its destination is foolish. Despite the steepness and narrowness of that difficult road, we know exactly where it is leading us. And traveling down its dusty pathways will be made infinitely easier by that knowledge.

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About Joseph Susanka

Joseph Susanka has been doing development work for institutions of Catholic higher education since his graduation from Thomas Aquinas College in 1999. He blogs at Crisis Magazine, where he also contributes feature articles on a variety of topics.

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