Recently, I had a discussion about a geographical distance. She asked if distance is an obstacle. I replied that distance is not necessarily an obstacle. Obstacles come in many shapes and forms (eg, distance, judging, negativity, pessimism).
There’s a famous Henry Ford quote that gives the right angle for this topic:
“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.”
A quote by American industrialist Henry Ford (1863-1947)
During our conversation, I became more and more distracted from my goal and (indeed) started counting obstacles. Ultimately, my goal became irrelevant considering the number of obstacles that I had noticed. Hence, I said farewell.
My farewell did not change my goal. I suppose that goals are much more generic and obstacles are much more specific (eg, person, place).
Sometimes, the obstacles seem to be outweighing the goal. Several times, I’ve been invited visiting a friend who lives in China. Even a visa-free China would not remove my doubts and fears (eg, disappearances, exit bans, hostage diplomacy). My freedom of writing (eg, goal, mission) is essential in my choice.
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (1622-1673), a.k.a. Molière, claimed the following: The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it; see French original quote. This quote seems to relate to his business adventures (source). I’m not sure if this saying is broadly relevant.
In terms of (eg, military) Power, obstacles seem to be secondary goals (eg, destruction, elimination) though seldom a distraction from the primary goal (eg, winning). The 2022 and ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine might be the exception, perhaps as the Russian decision was rooted in blind ideology.
Last but not least, the word obstacle is hardly mentioned in my blogs. Probably because I’ve viewed the word obstacles as a distraction from my goals (eg, learning, teaching).
Nevertheless, I created a new blog topic, featuring these two other blogs:
Obstacles (2005) by Syd Matters
artist/band, lyrics, video, Wiki-band, Wiki-album+song+video game
Note: all markings (bold, italic, underlining) by LO unless in quotes or stated otherwise.
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