The popular useage of this motto is now relatively negative, used to comment on those people, usually politicians, who continue to press on stubbornly toward a goal that long ago became lost in the fog. (The current war in Iraq comes to mind.)I am reminded of that saying that a fool is a person, who having lost sight of his objective, redoubles his efforts. Yet, so often in my life I have been guilty of this same mistake. Not being sure of where I'm going, I work even harder to get there, all the time riddled with anxiety because I can't tell if I'm working hard enough to get to a place I think I want to be, though I don't know where it is! This anxiety spills over into every area of my life, dragging me down physically, souring relationships and generally making life a rather miserable experience no matter how "successful" I am.
Yet, as the years have accumulated I have stumbled into a degree of wisdom about life and "onward through the fog" has taken on a new meaning for me. Instead of pushing blindly through the obscured landscape of life on this planet, hoping against hope that I will somehow find my way to happiness and peace, I now have a clear objective and all the tools at my disposal to achieve that goal. Life is still foggy, often uncertain and uncontrollable, but the promise of success in my quest motivates me to keep pushing forward. Though I don't see my objective just yet, I know where it is and how to get there. "Onward through the fog" now is my battle cry as I charge forward through the mists of life, excited about the journey, looking foward to getting where I want to be and trying to help those around me see the same goal and get there, too.
Maybe I could share some of the ups and downs of my journey with whomever cares to read this. Maybe it will help you find your way through the fog of life.
