The Good Outcome - An Allegory
Out through the fields and the woods
And over the walls I have wended;
I have climbed the hills of view
And looked at the world, and descended;
I have come by the highway home,
And lo, it is ended.
from Reluctance, by Robert Frost
The following was inspired by a patient of mine who, while getting ready to start a difficult and potentially dangerous course of chemotherapy, asked me if I could guarantee that her treatments would be successful.
An average couple, the kind that one meets at a soccer tournament or on vacation, blessed with friendliness as well as normalcy, awoke one day to find themselves in a strange land. Frightened, they began to search for a way to return home. They began to hike through a dense field sloped against a mountain, and after a while the husband came across a map resting on a stump. He carefully examined it and saw their hometown depicted in the center but was unable to identify any of the country surrounding it.
“We must find someone who can read this map,” he said. They continued to walk along until a village tucked in a narrow valley came into view. Soon they were knocking on doors, asking the inhabitants for help. The villagers were unable to decipher the markings but they all said to take it to the professor who lived next to the school, who was considered the smartest person in the valley. The couple hiked up the low hills to his house just as the sun was setting.
“Yes, may I help you?” asked a cordial voice through the weathered door.
“We’re sorry to bother you but we are lost,” said the wife. “We heard that you are able to read maps and thought maybe you could take a look at this one to tell us how to find our way home.”
The professor invited the man and his wife in and seated them before him. He studied the map for a long time before speaking.
“This is written in an esoteric language and the landmarks appear to be in code, but I’m fairly familiar with it from my studies. The problem is that even if I give you directions you will still need to be able to read the map as you travel along.”
The wife frowned and leaned toward her host. “Would you be willing to take us home? We’d pay you well.”
He smiled and said, “If I agree to help you I’ll actually receive a fee from our government. You would only need to pay for my gasoline. I’d be happy to be of service, but it will require that I drive. My vehicle is quite complicated to master.” He set his teacup down and asked if they had any questions.
The couple expressed their gratitude and the following morning after packing enough food and supplies for the trip the trio set out. The roads were wide at first but as the days went on they became rutted and in some areas dangerously narrow. Again and again the professor consulted the map as he raced across bridges and climbed hills flecked with aspen. As the days turned into weeks the couple became weary. Several times they groaned with disappointment when their driver announced that he was off course and had to turn back. The terrain soon became treacherous, and the husband noticed the wreckages of many cars that had gone off the road and crashed into the ravine below. He began to lose confidence in his guide and one day finally confronted him. The professor admitted that they were lost.
“You told us you could interpret this map!” he cried. “We’ve stuck it out with you for months and now you tell us you can’t figure out how to find our town! Why did you say that you could help us if you weren’t sure?”
He pulled over to the side and turned toward his two passengers.
“If I told you I wasn’t certain I could find your home would you have agreed to take this trip?” The professor stared hard at the couple, yet his voice was tender. “Or would you have continued to wander aimlessly until you both died of heartbreak? I confess that this map is difficult to decode, and I don’t know if I will ever be able to discover the correct route to your town, but I am willing to continue trying if you are.”
The man looked at his wife and after a pause they both nodded their assent. The professor put the car in gear and started off. He smiled knowingly at them and put his hand on the wife’s shoulder.
“Remember, when you hired me you charged me with driving you both home - safely home. I can’t promise you that we will ever reach it, but I can promise you one thing - that I will always keep my eyes on the road.”
Ah, when to the heart of man
Was it ever less than a treason
To go with the drift of things,
To yield with a grace to reason,
And bow and accept the end
Of a love or a season?
