Kim Barker, a longtime PCC customer in Oklahoma, shared the following C.S. Lewis quote with me. This is a powerful quote. It has application for everyone I know – including me.
“Progress means getting nearer to the place you want to be. And if you have taken a wrong turn, then to go forward does not get you any nearer. If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; and in that case the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive man.” ~ C.S. Lewis
Imagine, if you will, that you are driving east on a highway with plans to meet up with a friend in a certain town. You come to a Y in the road. To continue traveling east toward your destination, you should have taken the left-hand fork – but you mistakenly chose the right-hand fork. Now you are driving south on a different highway toward a totally different destination. Once you realize you are on the wrong road, how long will you continue before turning back? Five miles, 100 miles or 1000 miles? A wise person would turn around immediately.
Over the years… I have known hundreds of cattlemen who knew they were on the wrong road as far as their genetics and business were concerned. Most slowed down – but stayed on the wrong road. Today they are even farther away from where they want to be than before. Unfortunately, only a few were able to do an about-face and get back to the right road. This is a very tragic and disturbing part of human nature. If you discover you are on the wrong road, the best time to turn around is NOW!