Perspective

 

ne of many notable elements in the story I find interesting is the interaction between Professor Greenhagen and Ethan. The Professor is an intelligent and outspoken man with his own views regarding the mechanics of life. He believes that all events are connected by great cosmic strings and if we can focus and block out the noise, those connections become visible as patterns in the chaos.

 

There’s a point in the story where newly discovered information pertaining to certain facets of Ethan’s life are leading to ever more complex and possibly troubling truths he doesn’t want to explore. He’s taken the ‘head-in-the-sand’ attitude hoping that ignoring new revelations might make the issues go away. Yet part of him is still being driven by a lingering desire to find answers to a great many questions.

 

During a meeting with Professor Greenhagen, Ethan mentions something Alex and he had found in Turkey. The Professor believes he knows of a connection to this same information. “Patterns in the chaos,” he declares after relating his ideas. But Ethan is still reluctant to look past his own fears and denies a possible relevance. The Professor becomes frustrated and states, “It’s interesting how some people gravitate toward making decisions based on what they don’t know and what they believe they can’t do, instead of what they do know and what they can do.”

 

In this regard, we are all one of these two kinds of people. Many times in my life I’ve heard people say, “You can’t do that.” What that person is really saying is, “I don’t have the self confidence or vision to attempt what you want to do.” The other person hears the same statement as, “You don’t have what it takes to do that.’ It’s a negative inflection on both sides.

 

People who lack vision and self-confidence often try to project their lack of fortitude and conviction onto others. It’s almost impossible for them to understand how someone else could possibly do something they themselves believe to be too difficult or impossible. My friends and colleagues are familiar with my varied work ambitions. After I had started writing Circle of Doors, an acquaintance was curious what work I was currently involved with. When I told him I was writing a novel, he formed one of those expressions indicative of questioned sanity. It was at that moment I decided that no one else, outside of my family, needed to know what I was up to.

 

I believe one of the greatest tragedies that can occur in one’s life is to limit healthy ambition due to fear of failure or of the unknown. We may not be successful at everything we attempt, but believing what is possible instead of what is not is a powerful personal attribute that drives more than simple ambition; it influences the internal compass that guides us in every decision we make and everything we do. Even as a teenager, I learned that knowledge, commitment and dedication are necessary and inseparable for success. Once you commit to achieve by dedicating the necessary mental and physical resources, you’ve already built a bridge over one of failure’s largest rivers.

 

Just a few days before writing this, my wife was having dinner with some of her longtime friends from high school. After she told them about the novel, one of them asked what work I was doing to support us while writing. My wife explained that I was working on the novel fulltime. They were surprised and questioned the financial viability of such an arrangement. It was the typical perception of how they believed finances and commitment should work based on their own lifestyles. What they didn’t know was that my favorable working situation was the result of severe budgeting and lessons learned and applied from past experience.

 

After unscrupulous investors forced me to leave my first big start-up company, my family and I moved out of State heavily in debt and with horrible credit. The company I had poured all my money, heart and effort into was an impressive and viable achievement, but subsequently ended up creating the worst personal financial situation of my life. My family and I were fortunate to rent a decent house in a new area, but bankruptcy was a very real and looming consideration at the time. Fortunately, a good attorney who knew my personal standards told me that I would never forgive myself if I chose to take the easy way out with my creditors.  I took his words to heart and after starting another one-man business that grew rapidly, I paid off all my outstanding debt in about two years. That was the point I swore I would never go into debt for anything again other than a house.

 

Debt is a ruthless taskmaster. Once you bring it into your life, it never sleeps, never goes away, has little mercy and never forgets. I made a choice to live debt-free. That, and the support of my wife and family is how an unwavering dedication to writing became possible. When you remove the chains of debt from your life, you also remove the fear of dependence, debt’s constant companion.

 

As the business grew, I started paying off bills, saved and invested.  Every vehicle purchased from that point on was with cash. We bought what we could afford. The credit cards were destroyed and borrowing for anything wasn’t even a second option in most situations. When our credit rebounded to the point that purchasing another home became possible, we found a cheap, small house in the same neighborhood where we were renting and established a plan to pay it off early. Those decisions along with others allowed my writing to flourish and has kept us going for these many years. The money’s now gone, but a great accomplishment has been made and the sun is rising over a new horizon.

 

I want you to know, whoever you are and wherever you are, that you have the power to define your own existence. You alone can choose to enrich your character and improve your state of mind regardless of your situation. You can make those bold, and sometimes very difficult choices to break free of whatever chains bind you. See yourself for who you really are and what you want to become. Find discipline in your goals and go forward with conviction. Listen to that inner voice when it whispers to you. Shed the fear of failure or ridicule in peer acceptance and embellish in the endless possibilities of hope and knowledge. Know your strengths. Defy those who would tear you down. Your right to choose is the greatest power you will ever possess and it can find fantastic experiences and lead to incredible places. Knowledge and truth is everywhere, but you have to find truth in yourself before you can recognize that truth in others. And when it comes to understanding why you exist, there is only one truth. Search for it, embrace it, live in its wisdom, and live free.

 

- Ranse Parker

Circle of Doors